Code Silver
by stavie93
Summary: AU. The island never happened, but our two favorite Losties may still wind up together when Sawyer moves to Miami and gets a job as a security officer in Juliet's hospital.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Welcome to my first ever shot at Suliet AU! The first three chapters or so may be a little slow as I get things going, but I hope you enjoy it. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated! I've got the next chapter halfway done and I know where I'd like to go with the whole thing, but sometimes these stories take on a mind of their own so we'll see.

I plan to try to update weekly.

Please read and review! Oftentimes reviews make me write faster!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 1**

"Once I get in here where do I go?" James Ford was talking on his cell phone as he got out of his car and made his way through a busy parking lot to two large sliding glass doors.

"Oh." James could hear Miles munching on his lunch through the telephone. "Once you get inside." He said between bites. "You'll have to stop at the desk. Tell them you're there to see Dan and they'll get a hold of him. You can't get back to the office without a badge so he'll have to come get you."

"Alright." James neared the entrance. "And Miles?" He asked.

"Yeah?" His friend replied, mouth clearly full.

"Thanks for setting this up for me."

"No problem." Miles replied. "I'm glad to finally have you down here. Working together will be just like old times!"

"I'll let you know how it goes."

"Sounds good."

James heard a click as his friend hung up. It was a hot, sunny day in Miami. He tucked his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans as he walked into Miami Memorial Hospital.

An elderly woman wearing a pink vest greeted him from her seat at a large desk just inside the doors. "Can I help you?" She asked and smiled brightly. Her short hair was a color somewhere between white and gray and as he got closer James could see the dark blue 'VOLUNTEER' printed above the dame Sarah on her hospital ID.

James smiled at the woman. "I'm here to see Dan, the head of security."

"Yes, he said he was expecting someone. I'll give him a call." After a very brief phone conversation Sarah told James it would just be a few minutes before Dan came to get him. He thanked her and moved to the side so she could help the next person.

While he waited James looked around. He wasn't at the main entrance, but the entrance for the emergency room as Miles had instructed him. He watched as cars pulled up to the door and were greeted by men in blue polo shirts. They helped passengers into wheelchairs before whisking them into the hospital either to the left for ER or the right for outpatient services.

James saw several other older people walking around with pink vests like Sarah's and he couldn't help but think it was an odd choice for a volunteer uniform.

Suddenly a black car sped to the door. The driver was out of the vehicle and over to the other side before the guy with the wheelchair even got out the door. He swung open the passenger door revealing a woman. She looked to be in her late 40's like the driver, her husband James assumed. She was clearly crying and in obvious pain. The two men got her in the wheelchair and the husband parked while the other wheeled her towards emergency. James watched as she was taken past him. The tears came hard and fast leaving her face a blotchy red mess. She was moaning and groaning. "It hurts so bad." He heard her say while clutching her stomach. Soon they disappeared around a corner.

James stared down the hall and wondered what he was getting himself into. Death he could handle. He'd worked homicide back in LA with Miles. They saw bodies every day in varying stages of decay and with different kinds of injuries. But they never cried or complained. He was used to working in a relatively quiet environment for the most part compared to what he was beginning to realize a hospital sounded like. The sounds of people in pain had never been something he liked to listen to. A baby began to wail somewhere down the other side of the hallway and James hoped he'd get used to it quickly.

His thoughts were interrupted by a man coming down the hall. He was about the same height as James, but a little heavier. He clearly didn't work out like James did on occasion. His hair was dark with flecks of gray and was combed back into an Elvis-like style. He was in his mid to late fifties and wore the security uniform of the hospital – black pants and gray button up shirt complete with a shiny badge pinned on his chest. A hospital ID hung from the other breast pocket. Handcuffs, a radio, a flashlight, and keys were all situated on the belt around his waist. He smiled at James and stuck out his right hand which the other man promptly shook.

"James?" He asked and the man in question nodded.

"I'm Dan, the head of security. Miles says you'd be a great addition to the team. Let's head back to the office." He tipped his head in the direction he'd come from before leading James that way down the hall.

They went through the emergency waiting room and into the emergency room itself. James noticed a hospital ID was needed to swipe over a black box on the wall in order to get the doors to open.

The ER was busy. There were doctors and nurses everywhere. The longer two walls were filled with small rooms for patients. Desks and computers filled the middle of the room and were contained by counters that went all the way around, keeping prying eyes from medical charts and records.

Dan led James to the far end of the ER in the middle was a large door way that led to a long hallway. The rest was filled with more patient rooms. "Most of our incidents happen in here or in the psychiatric unit upstairs." Dan said.

James nodded. He'd heard stories from Miles.

"This way." Dan ushered him through an almost hidden set of doors to the left. They came to a sort of entryway. To go straight would take James through another set of doors and leave him outside in the ambulance bay. They turned left instead and came to a decent sized office filled with computer screens showing the views of each camera on the hospital's campus. There was a window overlooking the ambulances parked in the bay and the helicopter on its pad across the parking lot. Another window gave them a view of the entrance. A man sat at the desk watching the computer screens. He turned around quickly when Dan spoke.

"Mike, this is James." The two shook hands. Mike wore the same black and gray uniform and also seemed to be pushing sixty though his hair was nearly white. "Why don't you go for a walk?" Dan asked him.

"Nice to meet you." Mike said and then left.

Dan and James each took a seat and the interview began. "Based on your resume and what Miles has told me I think you'd do well here." The older man started. "But why do you want to do hospital security? Weren't you a detective in LA? I'm sure you'd have no problem getting on at Miami PD."

James knew the question was coming. Miles had gotten the same thing when he started at Miami Memorial nearly a year ago. The two had both been detectives, partners in LAPD homicide when Miles followed Brooke to Miami. She was a cop too and had a place in the city's department. When the relationship eventually ended Miles decided he liked Florida and wouldn't return to LA, but he didn't want to work alongside his ex. Security ended up being exactly what he wanted. It was a little more laid back at times, but he still got to put some of his academy training to use. He'd been trying to get James to join him ever since.

"I'm just trying to start over." James said. "New state. New city. New job. Miles seems to really like it here and it sounds like I would too."

Dan nodded. "There's not very many of us so there will be lots of opportunities for overtime. We patrol the grounds inside and out and watch the cameras. Most of our problems occur in the ER or psych unit, usually the patients who don't want to do what they're told. We carry cuffs, but no weapons. If you're alright with all of that I'd like to offer you the job."

James smiled. "I'll take it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** A big thank you to **zeusfluff, Alise,** and a **guest** for reviewing chapter one!

Here is chapter two! The next one is in the works. I hope you enjoy!

I'd like to point out that this story may at times deal with mental illness in a hospital setting just in case it could be upsetting for some. I've been working as a security officer in a hospital for nearly a year now and I plan to use some of my own experiences to keep it as true to the job as I can.

Please read and review!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 2**

Two weeks later James walked into the hospital for his first shift. He had on a brand new security uniform and used his newly printed hospital ID to go in through a back employee entrance and make his way to the office

He found Dan already there waiting for him with another man. "This is John." Dan introduced the two men and they shook hands. James tried not to stare. From the shoulders down John looked normal enough – average height and weight clad in a security uniform. But the head and face was something else, more specifically his hair was something else.

The top of John's head was shiny and bald, but in a ring around both sides and the back was a mess of stringy gray and white hair. It was pulled together in the back into a thin ponytail. His face was home to the largest mustache James had ever seen in person. It reminded him of the kind often seen in western movies, an upside down U – shape that nearly turned the wearer into a walrus.

Clearly this was the weird guy Miles had told him about. He'd given James a run down on all the security guys the night before. He told James that John was nice enough if not slightly off his rocker. James was inclined to agree with his friend's statement.

The three men talked over a cup of coffee before Dan and James took off for a walk through of the building. The hospital was relatively small, only six floors, but included several outlying doctor's offices and therapy centers. The two men started at the bottom and worked their way up. James was surprised at how friendly everyone was. Everywhere they went people smiled, nodded, and said hello. He was introduced to more people than he could count.

The ground floor contained meeting rooms, offices, and the cafeteria. They went through the first floor quickly since it contained the ER and the security office, things James had already seen, in addition to outpatient services and surgery which was one of the few places security did not go.

Dan kept up a conversation throughout the tour. James learned his new boss was going through a somewhat messy divorce and also had a girlfriend nearly half his age. He thought of himself as quite the ladies' man and lovingly referred to his soon to be ex-wife as a 'monster truck'.

Just when James was beginning to think he couldn't take one more second of hearing about Dan's conquests they headed into a stairwell. "Now we're not the biggest hospital." Dan started as they went up the stairs. He held open the door to the second floor for James as he continued. "But we've got one of the best OB units in the state." James nodded and followed Dan.

The second floor housed the pediatric unit along with obstetrics. Pediatrics was decorated in bright primary colors with cartoons on the walls and contained a fully stocked playroom. The unit was quiet as they walked through. There wasn't a patient or nurse in sight. "You'll find it empty in here a lot." Dan explained. "We don't get too many kids that need to stay which is a good thing." James smiled and nodded again. He was beginning to feel like a bobblehead with all his nodding. Dan was long winded.

They entered OB next and Dan pointed out that it had recently been renovated though James could tell that without being told. The floors were faux hardwood and the walls were a soft lavender. Portraits of babies hung on the walls in the hallway. This part was filled with patient rooms and the nursery which was empty aside from a nurse in lavender scrubs sitting at a computer. Dan was going on about the unit. "We snagged a great doctor from Miami General a couple years ago." He said. "Great looking, too." Dan grinned and elbowed James who smiled awkwardly.

Suddenly the doors burst open. James looked up to see three women hurrying in. Dan seemed to be oblivious to the action as he continued talking, most likely used to the hustle and bustle of hospital life. James found his eyes glued to the woman in the middle. Blonde hair, teal scrubs, and a serious expression. She was tying her hair into a ponytail as the two other women, spoke to her quickly. Nurses. James assumed. They nearly ran down the hall and didn't give the two security officers a second glance as they passed them on their way to the door at the other end of the hall labeled Labor and Delivery.

"We'll probably be hearing the baby music soon." Dan said and James looked at him confused. "The only time it's busy in here is when someone's about to pop."

They continued on with the tour. James was shown the Intensive Care Unit and the three floors that housed regular patients. They went through all six floors and made a stop on the roof where James was told to check for employees smoking from time to time.

The third floor psychiatric unit ended the tour. Security was in charge of securing all of their patient's valuables as they were not allowed to keep them. James was introduced to the nurses and told about the policies on the unit. Each patient was clad in the same blue-green scrubs. Many were currently in the common area watching TV. Dan explained that it was the most important unit to check in with each day other than the Emergency Room. It was often quiet, but they occasionally had violent or disturbed patients.

Dan and James met up with John for lunch in the cafeteria. The food was edible and the conversation light, but James' mind kept going back to the second floor, the baby unit as he'd been referring to it in his head. That blonde he'd seen speeding through the hallway. She'd looked so familiar and foreign at the same time. James knew he'd never met her, probably never even seen her before, but he was drawn to her like he'd never been to anyone else.

They were disposing of their lunch trays when a lullaby played over the speakers. Dan grinned. "What'd I tell ya?" He pointed to the ceiling. "You'll hear that a lot around here. Every time a baby is born." James hoped that like the baby music the blonde from OB would be around a lot too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Here's chapter three! Four is nearly done. I'm sorry the chapters are so short...I'm hoping they'll get longer as the story progresses!

Thanks to **zeusfluff** , a **guest** , **Ellundrill** , **aggie** , and **sandyba** for reviewing chapter two!

As always, please read and review! It makes me happy.

 **Disclaimer:** If Lost were mine we'd have a Suliet spin off, so clearly it does not belong to me!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 3**

James managed to get an apartment in the same building as Miles. It was a nice two bedroom and was close to both the hospital and Miles' favorite bar. James had furnished it somewhat sparsely with only the essentials and he hadn't felt much like decorating. He was three floors up so he felt no need for curtains except for in the bedroom to keep the sun out. The only framed photo he had on display was of his mother and it sat on a nightstand in the bedroom. He did, however, have a shelf devoted to favorite books in the living room.

James currently sat on the couch with Miles. They'd decided to celebrate James' first day on the job as well as his new apartment. They each sat on one end with a large pizza between them. Two six packs sat on the coffee table in front of them and a movie played on the TV.

James took a bite of his slice of pizza. "You know you coulda warned me about the bunnies." He shot a glare at his friend.

Miles laughed and nearly choked on his beer. "You have a good shift with John?" He asked innocently.

"Oh everything was fine until lunch!" James admonished. "Then Dan asked if I like bunnies and I was like sure, whatever." He shook his head. "I shoulda known that question was gonna lead to something. Next thing I knew John whipped out his cell phone showin' me pictures and everything."

Not only did James' new coworker John sport the oddest ponytail/mustache combo, he also lived alone with two rabbits who apparently had the run of the house.

Miles laughed again. "I had to leave some surprises for you." Their conversation was interrupted by James' phone buzzing on the coffee table. Miles read CASSIDY on the display as the blond reached over and poked at the reject button until it stopped.

With the phone quieted James relaxed back onto the couch. He took a sip of his beer and focused on the TV. Miles looked from his friend to the phone and back again. "She call a lot?" He asked.

James sighed. His goal was to forget about Cassidy. Not talk about her. "Has been lately." He replied. "Once a week or so."

"You ever gonna talk to her?" Miles had never been too fond of James' on again off again girlfriend, but James had claimed to love her. After this last breakup though Miles could tell James was done for good. She'd cheated and he'd moved to Florida.

James shook his head. "I ain't got nothin' to say to her." It'd been six months since he'd found out she was seeing his new partner behind his back. He'd promptly punched Craig and told Cassidy it was over. "I'm startin' over remember?" He looked to Miles who gave a nod and small smile.

* * *

Juliet Burke walked into the house she shared with her sister, her arms laden with grocery bags. She dropped her purse and keys on the table by the front door and made her way to the kitchen narrowly avoiding her nephew, Julian, as he flew past her.

"Mommy!" The three year old yelled to Rachel in the kitchen. "Auntie Julie is home!" He hadn't quite mastered saying 'Juliet' complete with the T on the end. His aunt found it adorable despite hating being called 'Julie' by anyone else.

Julian skidded to a stop on the tile floor and gave his aunt a toothy smile as she unloaded the groceries onto the counter. "Sorry I'm late." Juliet told her sister who was finishing dinner.

Rachel smiled and looked over her shoulder from her spot at the stove. "It's ok. Did you get the cookies I wanted?"

Juliet held up the box. "Right here."

"I love you." Rachel said before turning back around. She'd been looking forward to the treat all day.

Juliet laughed and looked down at Julian. "Were you a good boy for Mommy today?" She asked him. He nodded his head enthusiastically and began to tell her all about his day as groceries were put away and dinner was put on the table.

The sisters had moved in together towards the end of Rachel's pregnancy, once Juliet finally left Edmund. With Rachel's delicate condition it made sense to have her doctor close by. She'd managed to stay healthy through most of the pregnancy and Julian's first year. However, between his first and second birthdays her cancer came back. She was healthy again now after a year long battle, but Juliet wouldn't dream of leaving her sister or her nephew. She liked having someone to come home to after work and wanted to spend as much time with Julian as she could. And though she would never admit it to Rachel, she worried she'd get sick again. She wanted to be close just in case.

Dinner went smoothly. Julian was a constant chatter box. After informing Juliet of his activities throughout the day he told her about what happened on his favorite cartoons and asked a steady stream of questions about her day.

After dinner Juliet started the dishes while Rachel rounded up her son for a bath and bedtime. Juliet collapsed on the couch when she was done. Rachel joined her soon after. Juliet grabbed the television remote and stifled a yawn. "What are we watching tonight?" She asked.

"Long day?" Rachel asked as Juliet began flipping through the channels.

Juliet sighed. "I was trying to get the article for that medical journal done when they called me to the unit." She paused her channel surfing on a rerun of an old sitcom and looked over at Rachel. "A patient went into labor too early and it was not going well. Several hours and a baby boy later everything was good."

Rachel gave her sister a one armed hug. "You could've put the groceries off until tomorrow. You've been working too much! You need a vacation."

Juliet laughed. "Then you can tell all my patients they're going to have to hold the babies in while I go to the beach!"

Rachel laughed and shook her head. They settled in and watched the TV, the same thing they did every night after Julien went to bed. Unless Juliet was called into work.

Rachel glanced at Juliet out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't help but feel as though her little sister was wasting her life working and taking of her and her nephew. It'd been nearly four years now since she'd left Edmund after years of unhappiness. She hadn't been on a date since. Juliet had thrown herself into caring for Rachel and then Julian while also trying to repair the damage her ex-husband inflicted on her career. Now Rachel was healthy, Julian was thriving, and her career was back on track after being hired at a relatively new hospital with no ties to Edmund. Miami Memorial was small, but the obstetrics unit was flourishing with Juliet in charge.

"You should go on a date sometime." Rachel said, thinking out loud.

Juliet turned towards her, eyes wide. "What?" She asked shocked.

Rachel laughed. "Is it really that crazy of an idea? It's been four years Jules!"

"Three and a half!" Juliet corrected.

Rachel shook her head. "Close enough!" She took Juliet's hand in her own. "You deserve more than work and me and Julian." She said. "I want you to be happy."

"I am happy." Juliet said slowly in an attempt to reassure her sister before turning her attention back to the TV. She was done with the conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** This chapter is longer than all previous ones...yay! Big thank yous to **zeusfluff** and **aggie** for reviewing chapter 3!

I'm no longer going to guarantee Monday updates. I've got a lot going on right now and am having a rough time. I may be moving soon.

Updates **will** still be coming! I just don't want to promise them on certain days and not be able to deliver.

Please cheer me up by reading and reviewing!

Also I recently went back and read some of my previous fics...I can't believe the number of typos I missed! I will work on that!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 4**

Another two weeks past and James was done with his training. He was now ready to work without spending his time as someone else's shadow. James' first solo shift was an early one. He went in at 6am to relieve the overnight guys. The hospital was quiet this early. The officers weren't open yet and the general population of Miami had yet to wake up and decide they need to go to the Emergency Room.

James sat at the desk in the office and sipped a cup of coffee. He checked his email and deleted the voicemail Cassidy left for him the night before. He didn't listen to it. When would she get the hint that he didn't want to talk to her? He was scanning the cameras and idly wondering if he should get a new cell number when the office phone rang. He jumped, somehow managing not to spill his drink, before answering. "Security." He said into the receiver. "This is Jim." After initial introductions with everyone he'd requested to go by the nickname and even had it printed on his hospital ID.

"Hi. Um, I've locked myself out of my office." A female voice said over the phone. "Can you let me in?"

"Sure thing." James replied. "Where ya at?"

"Second floor. Admin hall."

"Be right there." James hung up, locked up the office, and headed upstairs. His first official duty as Miami Memorial Security. Sure, it was simply unlocking a door which was nothing compared to the things he'd seen and done in LA, but as security he still felt important and needed. Last week he and Miles had restrained a man in the ER after he took a swing at a nurse and they helped EMS get a dying woman inside as quickly as possible. The work was different, quieter than the murder and mayhem of LA, especially as most days the biggest emergency they faced _was_ a locked door. But it was still fulfilling and necessary. Plus James was already finding himself less stressed.

He bounded up the stairs to the second floor. _Admin hall._ That was a left out of the stairwell and then a right at the crossways. Each floor had its own section of offices, some big and some small. Although the ground floor was the only one to truly hold administration offices like the CEO and such, James had learned that parts of other floors that held pretty much any kind of office, be it a doctor's, nurse manager's, or even the head of housekeeping, it was still referred to as the administration wing of that floor. James was still trying to get everything straight and though it was a small hospital it was still easy to get turned around and momentarily lost.

James turned the corner into the second floor administration hallway. Halfway down on the right stood a woman. She was standing in front of a closed office door. She was blonde and wore a gray suit made up of a knee length skirt and jacket over a baby blue blouse. Her heels were black and tall and James wondered how she could walk in them without breaking an ankle. One shoulder held her purse, the other a laptop in its case. One arm contained a heap of files and folders. She looked up from her cell phone at the sound of James' footsteps.

James nearly stopped in his tracks. _The baby nurse._ Although apparently she was much higher up and more important than he'd originally thought when he saw her in the OB unit two weeks ago. _Baby doctor perhaps?_ He held up his key ring and jingled it. "Need in?" He asked, head cocked to the side indicating the door she'd been waiting by. He gave her his best dimpled grin.

Juliet gave a small, almost shy smile in return. _Dimples like those should be illegal_. Although she normally was not a fan of the scruffy long hair look she had to admit his dimples more than made up for it. "Please." She replied to his question. "I can't find my keys. I think I left them on my desk." She stepped back giving him access to the door as he chose a key from the ring.

James was thrilled when the key slid in and turned on the first try. He was unsure as to which key was the right one and had gone with his best guess. He took the key out and let the door swing open.

"Thank you." Juliet said with a real smile.

"No problem." James replied.

They stood in the doorway staring at each other for what could only have been an extra second or two, but it felt like a lifetime. Juliet was captivated by the unique color of his eyes – a blue green with a hint of gray that reminded her of the ocean during a storm. James' eyes bounced around between her azure eyes, full lips, and pink tinged cheeks. They were interrupted by the sudden chirping of Juliet's cell phone. She immediately looked down and found she had a text message from Rachel. James ran a hand through his hair.

"Looks like I left my keys at home. My sister found them." She awkwardly held up her phone as proof.

"Good to hear." He replied. His hand went back through his hair, a nervous habit. "So I guess I'll see ya around then Blondie?"

"Uh, yeah." They both smiled. She then turned into her office as James headed back down the hallway.

Juliet's mind was in a haze as she put her things down and took a seat at her desk. _Did he just call me Blondie? And did I just let him get away with it?_ She'd once shoved Jacob Turner into the dirt during recess for calling her that. So why didn't it bother her this time?

She sighed and boot up her computer. _Get a grip, Jules._ She told herself. It had been a long time, a very long time, since she felt butterflies in her stomach, but she had just now as soon as Mr. Security whatever-his-name-is smiled at her. Maybe Rachel was right. Maybe it was time she tried dating again. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. Nope. Not happening. In her experience love was never very kind and she always seemed to get hurt in the end whether it was her parent's divorce, the boyfriend who dumped her as soon as he got what he wanted during freshman year of college, or Edmund. No, she was better off single. Rachel and Julian were all she needed. She went to work, pushing any and all thoughts of those dimples and gorgeous blue eyes out of her thoughts.

* * *

James spent the next hour berating himself for not thinking to look if his mystery woman wore a ring or not. The color of her eyes and the curve of her lips were ingrained in his head, but her hands? Hell, he couldn't say for certain if she'd had all ten fingers let alone whether or not she wore a ring.

For a short while he'd wondered what had gotten into him. He'd never really been the type to moon over a girl, but this one, this woman, refused to leave his mind. He'd thought about her off and on since he'd first seen her hustling through the OB unit. It had been just sis months since he broke up with Cass. Was that enough time to get over someone you thought you loved?

James wasn't sure, but he was going to go with a 'yes' on that one. He rarely thought of Cassidy anymore, only when her incessant phone calls drove him mad. He still hadn't answered and had no intention of doing so. She hadn't seemed all that brokenhearted the day he'd told her they were through so he couldn't imagine why she'd keep calling. But he also found he didn't really care.

Miles entered the office with a box of donuts no less than ten minutes after his shift was to start.

James smirked. "Working with you never changes does it, Enos?"

"What-?" The Asian's mouth was full of a glazed sugary confection.

"Are you ever on time for anything?" James took a donut for himself once Miles set the box down.

The Asian swallowed his breakfast. "I do believe I was thirty minutes early two months ago when I picked you up from the airport." He stated.

"That's because my plane was forty minutes late."

Miles shrugged. "I was still early." James shook his head. "Quiet morning so far?" Miles asked.

James nodded. "Do you know the blonde with an office on second floor? I saw her in OB once, too."

Miles looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"She locked herself out of her office this mornin'. I thought she was a nurse, but they don't get their own offices do they?" James knew he couldn't let Miles know the real reason he cared. If the younger man knew James harbored what some might call a 'crush' on the blonde upstairs he'd never hear the end of it.

Miles surveyed the donut box and chose one with sprinkles this time. "I think you're talking about Dr. Burke." He said as he spun the sprinkled circle around looking for the best place for his first bite.

James almost sighed in relief. Miles saw no ulterior motive in his question and would be distracted for a few moments longer. "So what's this Dr. Burke do?" He asked casually.

Miles chewed slowly before answering. "Baby doctor." He said. "Supposed to be one of the best around."

Blondie was upgraded to _Dr._ Blondie and James wondered how she'd look in one of the long white coats.

Miles continued. "Her husband runs that company that got a male mouse pregnant a couple years ago."

James' heart dropped. "Husband?"

Miles narrowed his eyes at his friend again and smirked.

"Just curious." James clarified.

Miles studied him a moment longer. "They might be divorced. I'm not sure." He finished off his donut. "But I do know at least half the hospital has tried to take her out and she's turned them all down…men and women!"

James nodded and gave a face that said 'this is only mildly interesting'. Miles moved on to talking about the latest policy change in the ER.

James' fact finding mission had returned some unfavorable results, but like Miles said: he could be wrong. James hoped he was. He couldn't recall a time being this attracted to a woman he barely knew. He would definitely work on learning more about Dr. Blondie Burke.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Right on time with chapter 5! I had this planned out to be much longer, but I've decided to break it into two chapters. So the good news is chapter 6 is already started!

I will start looking for apartments and a new job this week so again no promises on when the next update will be, but it will definitely happen!

Thank you to **Just a fan** , **Love-oncers** , **zeusfluff** , **sandyba** , and **aggie** for reviewing chapter 4! You guys rock!

As always, please read and review!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Lost

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 5**

"I'm worried about you." Juliet told her sister from the doorway of the bathroom. Rachel was emptying the contents of her stomach which was becoming a daily routine. It was Juliet's day off and they had planned to take Julian to the mall, but instead Rachel was sick for the third day in a row and Juliet was going crazy with worry for her big sister.

Rachel coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Where's Julian?" She asked as she pushed herself of the floor and into a standing position.

Juliet helped her sister to get upright. "He's watching TV." She forced Rachel to look at her, brushed the hair out of her face, and studied her. "I think you need to go to the doctor." She said seriously.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm fine, Jules." She assured her, but could tell Juliet didn't believe it. "It's just that bug that's been going around." Rachel turned to the sink and brushed her teeth. She could see Juliet watching her in the mirror. When she finished she took her sister's hands in her own. "I. Am. Fine." She said, accentuating every word. "Why don't you take Julian to the beach or something? Give me time to rest and I'll be good as new tomorrow!" She gave Juliet the biggest smile she could. She knew what her sister was thinking. _Cancer._ But Rachel refused to believe for one second that the disease had come back to haunt her. Again. No, it was just the stomach bug she'd been hearing about. It had to be.

Juliet finally gave in. "Ok." She sighed. "I'll take him out for the afternoon. He's been wanting to make sandcastles since he saw them on TV last week. But if you're not better by Monday you're going to make an appointment."

Rachel nodded. "I promise."

After lunch Juliet collected all the little pails and shovel she could find. She stuck them in the car along with various other toys and one very excited nephew before heading to her favorite beach.

Rachel laid down on the couch and turned on the TV, ready for a long afternoon of rest and relaxation. She would be better tomorrow. She had to.

* * *

Juliet stuck an umbrella in the sand and unfolded two chairs to put underneath. Julian ran circles around her excitedly. She laid out a towel and dumped out his bag of toys.

"Aunt Julie."

She was pretty sure she'd heard those two words at least a hundred times since they left the house. Juliet turned her attention to her nephew.

"Swim first?" The boy was beaming and she couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Ok." She said and kicked off her flip flops.

Julian grabbed her hand and pulled her to the water. They stood at the edge and he giggled as the waves lapped at his feet. They waded out to what was waist deep water for Julian. He held on to his aunt as the waves came. He splashed and laughed when they receded. Juliet found herself thoroughly enjoying her time with Julian. His happiness was infections and she was able to push her worries about Rachel to the back of her mind.

Once back at the umbrella she showed him how to use his tools to build a sandcastle. After no more than five minutes of directions Julian instructed her to go away. He wanted to surprise her with his creation. She took a seat and got out her book, peering over the pages at him after every few paragraphs.

It wasn't too long before Julian abruptly stood and presented his castle to Juliet. It looked more like a lopsided lump, but she high-fived him anyway. "Good job, Buddy!" She said.

He climbed up into the other chair and she gave him his snack which consisted of a juice box and carrots. Juliet checked the time. Rachel wouldn't expect them back for at least another hour. She really thought the sandcastle would keep him entertained longer than it did.

They hunted shells and played in the water some more. Eventually Julian wore his aunt out and Juliet took a seat under the umbrella.

"Aunt Julie!" He whined. Juliet looked at him. "Play with me!" He commanded.

Juliet frowned and looked around for something for him to do. She suddenly remembered why she and Rachel seldom took him to the beach without the other. His smile had turned upside down and she could tell he was dangerously close to letting a flood of tears loose. She spotted a beach ball he'd pushed to the side earlier and tossed it to him. "You wanna play catch?" She asked.

His smile returned and he tossed the ball back to her. It wasn't long before his throws became wild, bouncing off the chair and going in every direction. She would reach out and corral it before it went too far. One particularly hard and aimless throw managed to bounce off Juliet's head before flying somewhere behind her. She stood and gave Julian a stern look. "What did I tell you about throwing it too hard?" He did his best to look angelic.

A southern drawl came from behind Juliet. "Lose somethin'?" A man asked.

Julian grinned and took the ball from the stranger. Juliet turned to thank the man and was met with a face she did not expect to see. Dimples. Long blonde hair. _Mr. Security._ "Thanks." She said when she finally found her voice.

James had been walking along the beach when a ball suddenly landed in front of him. A quick look found the nearest woman and little boy near an umbrella so he went over to return it. The boy was cute and took the toy back with a smile, but when the woman turned around he was shocked. _Dr. Blondie._ She was the last person he'd expected to see here and she looked good. She was in a T-shirt and a pair of modest shorts and he couldn't help but admire the long legs he'd never noticed before. He could tell she recognized him, too.

She thanked him and he smiled. "Didn't think I'd run into you here, Blondie." He said and then remembered the boy. _She's got a kid? Damn. That probably means a husband, too._

"Just giving my sister a break." She replied. "He's my nephew."

James tried not show how very happy that last sentence made him.

"And it's Juliet." He looked at her somewhat confused. "My name. It's not Blondie."

He laughed. "It suits you though."

"I could say the same for you." She pointed to his hair and wondered how she was still functioning. This man was giving her all the feelings she hadn't felt in so long.

"Touché." He replied. "I'm Jim." He stuck out his hand.

Juliet shook his hand and was tempted to never let go. It was soft and rough and manly and wonderful all at once. "So what brings you out here today?" She managed.

"I just moved from California. Always heard people sayin' the beaches here were better than there or the other way around. Had to check it out for myself."

"And?" She asked. "Which is better?"

He looked around before setting his eyes back on Juliet. "They look about the same to me." He smiled. "I hear it's those tropical islands that really have something different." She smiled, too and James thought he would melt.

"You'll have to let me know when you figure it out." She said and felt a sudden tugging on the bottom of her shirt. She looked down to find Julian staring at her pointedly.

"Are you gonna play or not?" He asked seriously.

James laughed. "Guess I better go. I'll see ya around?"

Juliet nodded. "Yeah." And she found she really hoped she would see him around. She watched him walk away until Julian's small voice reached her.

"Can we make another sandcastle?" He asked.

"Sure, Buddy."

They spent the rest of their time at the beach playing in the sand.

* * *

Julian didn't last long after dinner. He fell asleep on the couch before his bedtime and Rachel carried him to his room. Afterwards the two sisters sat together on the couch.

"Do you feel any better?" Juliet asked.

Rachel smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine, Jules. Don't worry!" Juliet narrowed her eyes at her. "I promise." Rachel added with an eye roll. "Tell me about the beach!"

Juliet gave her the play by play, but eliminated James from her story. She knew Rachel would want every detail. She was still coming to terms with the fact that she liked this man she hardly knew. She knew if he asked her out she wouldn't say 'no'. The thought of dating again and quite possibly getting her heart broken terrified her. She did not need Rachel's gushing, prodding for details, and pushing her towards him. Not yet.

Besides, she had no idea how he felt about her. Maybe nothing would come of it. She wouldn't tell Rachel until there was something to tell.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** A long chapter to make up for the wait! I will officially be moving on the 18th. I've still got a ton of things to do so I can't promise another update before then, but we'll see what happens! Big thank yous to **zeusfluff** , **Just a fan** , **Love-oncers** , and **wordsthinker** for reviews!

Please read and review!

 **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately I have not acquired Lost between now and the last update.

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 6**

Rachel had lied. Well, kind of. She never actually said she felt better, but she implied it. Juliet was pretty sure that was the same as lying and she was not happy.

The day at the beach with Julian was Saturday. On Sunday Rachel seemed fine. She had no complaints and those were her words "I'm fine" said with a longer eye roll each time and a plea to quit asking.

However, now at one o'clock Monday morning Rachel was very clearly _not_ fine. Juliet would be pissed if she weren't too busy worrying. She'd been woken up by a loud crash. That was Rachel knocking the lamp off the hall table during her mad dash to the bathroom. Juliet was up immediately. She peeked into Julian's room, thankful to find him still sleeping.

She went next to Rachel who was practically hugging the toilet bowl. She was sweating and trying not to shake. Juliet knelt down next to her. She brushed the hair out of her sister's face and after a few moments of silence she asked "Think you're done?" Rachel nodded and Juliet helped her up. "I'm calling the doctor first thing. Rachel nodded again.

They were lucky to get a Monday morning appointment. Juliet called off work. Sometimes being the head of the department had its perks.

She sat in the waiting room with Julian and was reminded of the last time Rachel was sick. They'd spent nearly a year constantly packing up baby Julian for family trips to the oncologist. Juliet would always go no matter what, as Rachel's support system and driver. They could have left Julian with a sitter, but if Rachel was going to die she wanted to spend as much time with her son as possible.

They all made it through and Julian had no memories of his mother as a sickly, bald cancer patient. Juliet wasn't sure they could get so lucky again.

The large waiting room was nearly empty. Juliet sat on one of the uncomfortable blue chairs, the odd geometric pattern on it and the rest of the furniture seemed somehow too cheerful for the office of a cancer doctor. Julian was shuffling through the books and magazines on a center table.

Juliet's eyes wandered around the room taking stock of all the things that had changed since their last visit. The walls seemed to be a slightly lighter shade of beige and there were a few new pictures on them. Eventually her eyes landed on a woman sitting across the room and she was met with a dirty stare in her direction. Juliet's brow furrowed. _What could I have possibly done to warrant that?_ The woman's gaze shifted to Julian and Juliet understood.

Her nephew was dropping every piece of reading material he didn't want onto the floor. She watched as he picked up another issue of _People Magazine_ and studied the cover before holding it out over the floor and letting it drop unceremoniously into a heap with the rest of the _People_ s, _Entertainment Weekly_ s, and children's books he found uninteresting.

"Julian." She whispered loudly.

He looked up at her, a brightly colored Dr. Seuss book hanging precariously by his fingertips over the pile on the floor.

"Pick those up." She told him. "That's not how we treat things."

He looked from his aunt to the pile on the floor and Juliet prayed he wouldn't argue with her. "But I'm trying to find a good one." He protested.

There were only a few books left on the table. "Pick one and then put the rest back before we read."

Julian nodded and promptly let go of the book in his hand. Juliet sighed. He looked through the ones left on the table and picked out a well-worn purple one. He raced to Juliet and placed it in her lap. "Pick the others up first." She reminded him.

He ran back and stacked them on the table as fast as he could. They weren't very neat, but she decided it was good enough. The other woman had gone back to staring at the wall.

Julian climbed into the chair next to Juliet and they read his chosen story.

They read about cows that could type, a mouse with a cookie, and were halfway through one about a lion with a headache when Rachel emerged from the door that led to the rest of the building.

Julian saw her first. He scrambled out of his chair and ran to greet her. She scooped him up and listened to him tell all about the books they read.

Juliet stayed frozen to her seat. Julian was under the impression that this was a regular doctor and his mother was here for a regular check-up. Rachel smiled at him and acted normal, but Juliet could see right through it. Juliet's heart sank as Rachel avoided meeting her gaze.

The sisters made small talk until they got home and Julian went down for a nap. Juliet caught Rachel in the living room after closing Julian's door. "What'd the doctor say?" She asked, afraid of the answer.

"He doesn't know what it is." Rachel's eyes filled with tears. "It could be nothing or it could be something bad." Juliet wrapped her sister in a hug and they both let the tears fall. "I don't want to be sick again." Rachel whispered against Juliet's shoulder.

"I know." Juliet smoothed her sister's hair before pulling back. "What else did he say? Did they run tests?'

Rachel sniffled and wiped at her eyes. She nodded. "They'll call with the results as soon as they get them."

Juliet's hands went to Rachel's face brushing the hair back and wiping the tears away. She tried to hold back her own tears that threatened to fall. Rachel was supposed to be the strong one. She'd gotten Juliet through her marriage and divorce. She'd believed in Juliet when Juliet didn't even believe in herself. And she'd been so positive the first two times she'd been sick.

Juliet wasn't sure she could be strong enough for the both of them. But she had to try. "You're gonna be ok." She told Rachel with the strongest voice she could muster. "And we're not gonna worry until we hear back from the doctor." Rachel nodded and Juliet pulled her in for another hug.

* * *

The next day Juliet went back to work. She sat at her desk and stared at the mountain of paperwork and computer screen filled with unopened emails. She knew the chances of getting test results back the day after the test was preformed would be slim to none, but she still kept her cell phone nearby and found herself looking at it every few seconds, sometimes pushing the button to make it light up just to be sure she hadn't missed anything.

Eventually she was able to keep herself distracted and busy. She had no patients to see and dove right into the paperwork after finishing the emails. She worked through lunch, afraid to stop and think for more than a second.

The day wore on and suddenly at around three o'clock her phone chirped. Juliet froze and stared down at the tiny screen. It was a message from Rachel. ' _Got results. Call when you can.'_ Her heart raced and she dropped the pen from her hand, replacing it with the phone.

He hospital building had notoriously bad cell reception. Juliet had always been lucky sending and receiving text messages in her office, but actually speaking to someone over a phone that didn't belong to the hospital was almost unheard of. She quickly locked up the office and headed into the hall. If you wanted to be able to talk on your cell phone you had to go outside and Juliet knew the perfects spot.

She took the elevator to the sixth floor and then took the stairs up to the roof access door. The outgoing head of OB had showed her his trick to a quiet place to think when she started. If you jiggled the handle just right the door popped right open without a key.

Her heels clicked and clacked against the rock spread across the flat roof. She moved away from the door and over to the edge. The ledge of the building was tall enough for her to lean against and rest her elbows on. Despite the noise of the city she'd always found it peaceful and she'd never run into another person there. Perfect for a phone call she knew would result in tears.

Juliet took a deep breath and called her big sister.

* * *

James took the stairs to the roof two at a time. He was making rounds through the building and it was the only place he had left to check. He often saved it for last. It was the only place in the hospital that wasn't full of people and he enjoyed a break from the hustle and bustle every now and then. He'd been told past employees had been known to hide on the roof for smoke breaks, secret rendezvous with other employees of the opposite sex, and as a way to simply avoid working. James had never run into anyone up there or on the stairs. He was beginning to wonder if the stories were all just rumors.

James used his key on the roof door and slipped out into the fresh Florida air. The roof was populated by air conditioning units along with other machines and pipes that contributed to the inner workings of the building. It was surrounded on all sides by a ledge that was at least waist high. James turned the corner around an A/C unit and was shocked to find someone standing near the ledge. He was even more shocked to see that person was Juliet.

After their run in at the beach James made a decision. He promised himself he would ask her out the next time he saw her. He wasn't sure if a hotshot doctor could be interested in someone like him and he still wasn't sure if she were married or not, but when he looked at her he knew he was over Cassidy and he just had to try. He couldn't get Juliet out of his head and he hoped there was a chance she felt the same way.

He started towards her when he noticed the slight shaking of her shoulders and the hand held up by her ear. She was on the phone. And she was crying. James wanted to run back downstairs. He'd never known what to do with crying women and he knew he'd just stumbled into something very personal. But the desire to comfort her and make her feel better fought with the one to run and he became frozen in his spot.

"I'll see you when I get home. Love you." Juliet said through her tears.

James watched as she hung up her phone and rested her head in her hands. He stood there for another moment. His brain told him to hightail it in the opposite direction, but something in heart pulled him closer to her. "Juliet." He said carefully, using her real name for the first time.

Her head snapped up and she immediately began to brush the tears away while blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep new ones from coming. "Um…wh-, what are you doing here?" She asked trying to be casual.

James shrugged. "Gotta secure the roof, too."

"I know I'm not supposed to be up here. Sorry. I should go." The tears were gone, but her face was red and eyes puffy.

She moved to walk past him and back to the door, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her elbow. "Hey." He said softly. "What's goin' on? You ok?"

Juliet shifted her gaze from the rocks at her feet to James' face. She let out a small laugh. "I'm great actually." And she smiled.

James was fairly certain he'd never been more confused in his life. "Coulda fooled me." He stated when he realized she wasn't going to say more.

She pushed some hair out of her face and laughed again. Then she turned serious. "I thought my sister's cancer came back. She said she got the results from the tests and to call her back. She's going to be ok! It's not cancer!" Juliet beamed. She wasn't sure what compelled her to tell this stranger something so personal, but something about James drew her to him.

His smile matched her own. "That's great!" He said.

They stood in silence for a moment before Juliet realized how she must look. "I'm sorry about all this." She gestured to her face. "I've never run into anyone up here before and I was so sure she'd give me bad news." She paused. "This all started as soon as the phone started ringing." She pointed to her eyes, indicating the tears. Her mouth seemed to be moving of its own accord. "Sorry." She said again before closing it quickly.

"It's alright." James assured her. Her makeup was ruined. The eyeliner she'd had around her eyes was beginning to make her resemble a raccoon, but he was still taken by her beauty. Her blue eyes shown through the redness, puffiness, and black of the makeup. He realized he was staring and quickly stopped. "How'd you get up here anyway?"

Juliet looked a little guilty. "The door." She said. "If you jiggle the handle right it'll open."

"Good to know." He stated.

"I'd better get back to the office." She said. "I'm sure I look like a mess."

She moved to pass him again, but he stopped her with his words this time. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you."

She stopped and looked at him expectantly.

He stopped himself from running a hand through is hair. "Do hotshot baby doctors ever go to dinner with security guys?" He managed to sound a lot more confident than he felt and relaxed when he saw her smile.

"I think they might if given the opportunity."

"You free tomorrow night?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

James' smile grew wide. "I've been told that Italian place down the street is pretty good."

She nodded again and smiled. "It's my favorite."

"Meet you there about seven?"

"Sounds good." She said.

"Good." He said awkwardly, ruining the air of confidence he'd been trying to put out. _Had asking someone out ever been this difficult before?_ He didn't think so.

"I better get back to work." She said and this time he let her go back to the door and head down the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Chapter 7 is here! I'm sorry it's taken so long, but I'm just now finally starting to feel like myself again and like I can write. This move was rough, but I'm getting things figured out! This chapter turned out to be a little difficult, but I hope you enjoy!

Big thank yous to everyone who has reviewed this story so far and those who are still here for this chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Lost.

Please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 7**

James could have skipped back to the office, but he restrained himself. However, he could not keep the smile off his face. He reached the office and plopped into a chair next to Miles who was working on a report.

"All good?" Miles asked absently.

"Yeah." James replied. He stared at the cameras without really watching them. His mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about what to wear on his date with Juliet when he felt Miles' eyes on him. He turned to his old partner. "Can I help you?" He knew his smile had given him away.

"What happened?" Miles asked, eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking about?" James played dumb.

"That face." Miles pointed at him. "And that smile. What did you do?"

James straightened up in his chair. "I got myself a date for tomorrow night." He said proudly.

"No way!" Miles exclaimed. "With who?"

James smirked. "Juliet. The baby doctor."

Miles laughed. "No really. Who is it?"

"It's Juliet."

"You're serious?"

James nodded.

Miles was stunned for a moment. "How'd you manage that?"

"I asked her. She said yes."

"But everyone's asked her. _I've_ asked her. She _always_ says no."

"Not to me." James grinned. "We're meeting at that Italian place around the corner tomorrow at 7."

Miles punched him in the shoulder. "Lucky bastard."

* * *

Juliet sat in her car outside the restaurant. It wasn't long after making plans with James that she remembered she hadn't been on a date since her last one with Edmund and she wasn't even sure when that was. She immediately panicked and although Rachel's words of encouragement had helped earlier they most definitely not helping now.

Rachel had been thrilled at hearing Juliet's news, possibly even more so than when she was told she didn't have cancer.

"This is the best day ever!" She'd squealed when Juliet told her.

Juliet told her everything she knew about James which she realized wasn't very much.

"Don't worry. That's what first dates are for – getting to know each other." Rachel assured her.

The next afternoon Rachel insisted on helping Juliet pick out a dress. She held up something short and tight.

"No." Juliet said firmly. Rachel shrugged.

Before Juliet headed out to the car Rachel asked "Should I expect you home before breakfast?" She was only partially joking.

"Rachel!" Juliet's eyes went wide and her cheeks filled with pink.

Rachel laughed. "Well" She stated. "It's been a while."

"And it's going to be a while longer."

* * *

James was waiting outside the restaurant, leaning up against the wall in his baby blue buttoned shirt and dark pants. He was watching the cars go by when he saw movement on the sidewalk out of the corner of his eye. Juliet was walking towards him. She looked about as nervous as he felt, but he couldn't take his eyes off her. She wore a strappy black dress that came to rest just above her knees. It wasn't tight, but it gently hugged her curves. The fabric seemed to sparkle as she moved.

He smiled as she got closer and felt relieved when she smiled back. "You look great." He said when she got close enough.

Her cheeks took on a pinkish color. "Thank you." She said in such a shy voice that made James wonder when she'd last been given a compliment.

He held the door open and followed her into the restaurant. They were seated quickly and made small talk until their orders were taken.

James looked around as Juliet took a sip of her drink. "This is a nice place." He said.

Juliet smiled. "My sister brought me here when it first opened. It's been my favorite ever since."

"How is your sister? You said you thought her cancer came back?"

Juliet explained her sister's situation, the two bouts of cancer before and the good news she received the day before. Her nervousness started to fade. James seemed to be listening intently and actually interested in what she had to say. Edmund had always preferred to talk about himself.

"They said she just has a virus that's been going around. Once she gets over that she's thinking about going back to work since Julian will start preschool soon."

Their food arrived and there was a break in conversation as they took their first few bites. James had a hard time focusing on his food; his eyes constantly drifted back to Juliet. He found he wanted to know everything about her: her likes, dislikes, her past and present, and what she hoped for her future. He'd never been this interested in a person so quickly, but he tried not to dwell on that fact.

"Julian." He said. "Is that the kid you had at the beach?" Juliet smiled at the mention of her nephew and James couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes." She replied. "Rachel wasn't feeling well that day so I took him out by myself." She paused for more food. "Did you know that ball that landed in front of you had bounced off my face first?"

James let out a hearty laugh. "You're kidding."

"I wish. He really needs to work on his aim sometimes." She chuckled. "Do you have any nieces or nephews?" She asked.

"Uh, no. It's just me."

"Only child?"

He nodded and turned the conversation back to Julian. Telling someone about his parents always resulted in one of two reactions: pity or horrified. James was planning to keep that tidbit of family history a secret for as long as possible.

The conversation carried on throughout dinner. Juliet was both incredibly surprised and excited to learn James was a reader. They talked only of books for a good half hour and although she disagreed with his choice for favorite Stephen King novel, she was thoroughly impressed by how well read he was. The only things Edmund ever read were things he had written himself.

James told her about his time as a detective in LA and was surprised when she seemed genuinely interested. As far as he was concerned her job was much more impressive, but she acted like it was nothing. He was telling her about the last case he worked with Miles and how he moved cross country to reunite with the best friend he'd ever had when his cell phone rang.

The sharp, shrill tone seemed much too loud in the quiet restaurant. "I'm sorry." James said as he fumbled for the offending piece of technology. When he finally got it out CASSIDY shown in big letters across the screen. He instantly hit the reject button and put the phone down. "Sorry." He said again.

Juliet smiled. She found his fumbling and apologies endearing. "It's ok."

The waitress cleared the plates as James finished his story. They continued talking and the next time they looked up the restaurant was nearly empty.

"It must get getting late." Juliet said.

James checked the clock on his phone. "It's almost ten o'clock." He smiled.

Juliet's eyes went wide. "It can't be!" He turned the phone to face her, proving the time. "Rachel probably thinks I died on the way home." She joked.

"Nah. I bet she just thinks you've been havin' a good time."

"I have." She smiled sheepishly.

James grinned. "Me too."

After a moment of silent smiling Juliet began to gather her purse. James stood first. "I'll walk you to your car."

They headed out of the restaurant together and walked side by side down the sidewalk, shoulders nearly touching.

"This is it." Juliet said as they came to a modest silver four door car.

They stood next to the vehicle, Juliet's back to it and James facing her. "I had a really good time tonight." He said.

"I did, too." Her gaze traveled from his eyes to his lips. He was so close and the cologne he wore was intoxicating. He smiled and she could have melted at the sight of his dimples.

James had done his best all night to look only at Juliet's face, but when her eyes went to his lips he looked down. The dress was, in fact, somewhat sparkly, and the street lights played off of it. He watched the rise and fall of her chest and was standing close enough to feel the heat from her body. When he looked up again she met him with a smile.

He closed the distance between them slowly, giving her time to push him away. He was thrilled when she wrapped her arms around his neck. One of his hands went around her waist while the other got lost in her hair. Their lips met in what was first a chaste kiss. It wasn't long before she pulled him closer and he pushed her up against the car. Lips and tongues explored. Juliet marveled at the softness of James' hair and how it seemed to match the softness of his lips. James reveled in the feeling of having her close against him.

A honking horn from a passing car caused them to spring apart. Their bodies separated enough for each to draw in a breath as they found themselves no longer pressed against the car door. Juliet blushed as she tried to control her breathing. James smiled. "Can we do this again sometime?" He asked.

"I'd like that." She replied.

He opened the driver's door for her. "I'll call you." He promised. "And maybe see you at work tomorrow?"

She smiled. "I'll be there."

He shut the door and watched her drive off feeling better than he had in a very long time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** I went through three versions of this chapter before settling on this one so I hope you enjoy! We should start getting into the heart of the story soon. Most of this is still just the warm up!

Thank you to **zeusfluff** and **Guest** for reviewing Chapter 7!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

As always, please read and review because it makes me happy!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 8**

Juliet rushed down the stairs and burst into the ER. A pregnant woman had been in a car accident and just arrived at the hospital. It didn't look good and they'd requested her presence. She flew into the critical care room without taking the time to look around.

James was standing a few rooms away. The drunk driver who hit the woman was fine, but more than a little angry at being forced to sober up in a hospital room before being taken to jail. James was there to make sure he didn't do anything else stupid. While the nurses talked with James' charge he focused his attention on Juliet. He couldn't figure out how she moved so quickly in heels and a skirt. His mind briefly went to whether he thought she looked better dressed up or dressed down in scrubs, but when his brain decided to take a step further and wonder if she'd look even better wearing nothing at all he pushed all thoughts of her appearance out of his head. The middle of the ER during and emergency was not the time or place to get caught up in thoughts of that nature.

He watched Juliet move swiftly around the room. Her patient was a bloody and crying mess. She clutched at her protruding midsection and James wondered if the baby was old enough to survive outside the womb. Juliet was focused and serious, a side of her he hadn't yet seen. He wondered if there would be anything she could do and hoped that there was.

"There's no time!" He heard Juliet yell abruptly before pulling the curtain around everyone in the room.

James turned back to his drunk. The man was older with gray hair and a beard to match. The cops said he'd run a red light with his truck before plowing into the couple's car. From outside the room James watched as the nurse checked his vitals and stuck a band-aid over over a small cut on his forehead. Then the nurse told him to settle down and try to sleep before leaving.

"Don't I even get TV?!" The man yelled after her. He'd been placed in a psychiatric room so he could be monitored on a camera. The room contained only a bed.

"Hey man, just work with us for a while and we'll see about a TV ok?" James said.

"I don't need no mall cop babysittin' me either." He slurred before plopping onto the bed and crossing his arms over his chest.

James shook his head and took a position outside the doorway. _This is gonna be a long day._ He thought.

Screams erupted from the critical care room and feet moved furiously below the curtain. It wasn't long before a nurse closed the door.

"Can't you make these people shut up?" The man asked from his bed.

"It's the woman you ran over so why don't you shut up?" James snapped back at him. He'd come to learn that hospital security was supposed to have a little more tact and restraint than that of a homicide detective. So far he'd been having a little trouble controlling himself in that department.

"It ain't my fault they got in my way." He complained.

James resisted the urge to punch him. "You want TV or not?" He asked and received a nod. "Then I suggest you keep quiet."

Moments later the critical care door opened and baby cries filled the ER. James watched Juliet take a step out of the room and take a deep breath before looking around. Her eyes landed on his and they both smiled. James peeked in on his drunk to find him brooding on the bed. He took a few steps in Juliet's direction and they met halfway.

"Everything ok?" He asked.

"Everyone's great." She smiled again. "It's a girl."

James grinned. "Mom?"

"A couple broken bones from the accident, but she'll be ok."

"That's good. I was watchin' til they closed the doors. You were great in there."

"She did all the work. I just caught the baby." Juliet laughed.

A nurse appeared at Juliet's side. "Here's those scrubs, Dr. Burke." She handed her a pile of sea foam green fabric.

James looked down and realized her skirt, blouse, and jacket were stained with blood and other fluids he didn't care to identify.

Juliet followed his gaze. "Guess this outfit's done for. I better go change."

"Hey, since they're all ok, can I leave now?" The drunk poked his head out of the room.

James turned around and glared at him. "Sit." He said sternly. The man went back in and sat.

"Good luck with him." Juliet said before turning to leave the ER.

"Could I call you tonight?" James asked quickly. "Or if you're busy that's ok."

"No. I'd like that." Juliet smiled before walking away.

* * *

Juliet was in the living room with Rachel and Julian when her phone rang. Her heartbeat increased and she tried not to look too excited or nervous in front of her sister.

"Hello?" She said although she already knew who it was.

"Hey, Blondie."

She could hear the smile in his voice. "James."

He was beginning to really like the sound of his given name on her lips even though he requested everyone call him 'Jim'. He was in his own living room on the couch and heard shuffling sounds on the other end of the phone along with a muffled "No, Rachel" followed by laughter. The TV he could hear in the background got quieter until it disappeared altogether.

"Hi." She said again. "Sorry about that. Rachel decided she wanted to try to talk to you. You don't want that."

James laughed. "How'd the rest of your day go?"

"Well I had to go to my afternoon meetings in scrubs so it wasn't ideal, but could have been worse."

"I'm sure ya looked fine." He said. "And ya really did do great today. I wasn't expectin' that baby to make it."

"We got lucky."

James knew it wasn't luck. He'd looked her up one day while in the office. She really was one of the best in her field and he couldn't understand why she didn't seem to see it that way.

"How'd it go with the drunk driver?" She changed the subject.

"We gave him a TV after a while and he was fine. Was sleepin' when I left."

The conversation continued. Did she have the meatloaf for lunch today? No, she brought her lunch. But did he see the sorry excuse for pizza they served last week? He'd made the mistake of trying it. Talking between them was easy, natural. They never seemed to run out of things to say to each other.

Eventually during a lull in the conversation James paused. "Juliet?" He asked.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing Saturday?"

Juliet grinned. She'd been hoping he'd ask for a second date. "Not a thing. What'd you wanna do?"

"Anything." He admitted and her smile grew wider. He began to ramble off some ideas. "We could go to the beach, the movies, out to eat.." He listed off some restaurants. "Or I could cook for you." He was prepared to keep going, but Juliet cut him off.

"You cook?" She asked almost laughing.

"Hell yeah I can cook!" If he'd had a dollar for every time someone doubted his cooking abilities James knew he'd be able to retire early. He liked to eat and he liked to eat good food so he'd learned how to cook.

Juliet laughed. "You don't seem like the cooking type."

"So I've heard. Tell you what. I'll make dinner then we can go to a movie. If it's no good we can go to that new girlie movie I'm sure yer dyin' to see."

"The one where they travel through time and fall in love?" She interrupted him.

"If that's the one where where they're professing their love while running away from flaming arrows in the commercial then yes."

"I thought it looked good."

James let out a hearty laugh. "But if the food is good we'll see the new spy movie with all guns and explosions."

Juliet laughed at his stereotypical movie choice. "It's a date." She said. "But no cheating!" She added.

"I wouldn't think of it!"

They talked a while longer before saying goodnight.

A few minutes later Rachel knocked on Juliet's door.

"Come in." She told her.

Rachel opened the door. "How's James?" She drew out his name, teasing her little sister.

Juliet laughed. "He's good. We're doing dinner and a movie on Saturday."

Rachel took a seat next to her sister on the bed. Her expression turned serious. "He's a good guy right Jules?"

Juliet rolled her eyes. "Why would I go out with him if he wasn't?"

Rachel looked at her pointedly. "Edmund." She said.

The younger sister's smile disappeared. "I think I've learned my lesson from that, ok? You don't need to remind me of how stupid I was."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again." She answered honestly.

There was a moment of silence before Juliet spoke. "He won't hurt me, Rach. I know I haven't known him long, but I just have this feeling." Rachel eyed her doubtfully. "A good feeling. I really like him. And I think he feels the same. I've never felt like this before." Juliet paused. It was one thing to feel the way she was, another thing to voice it out loud. "It's like we have a connection." She tried to explain. "Like we've known each other for years already."

Rachel smiled warmly. "I hope you're right. You deserve to be happy."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

Please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 9**

Juliet was on the couch in James' apartment. She sat on one end and looked around. A big TV complete with an Xbox was on the other side of the coffee table. The bookshelf on the side wall caught her eye, but before she could get up to investigate James returned with wine. He handed her a glass and took a seat next to her.

They'd already eaten. Juliet showed up just as James was taking the lasagna out of the oven and she had a good laugh when he opened the door wearing an oven mitt.

"You won't be laughin' when you taste it." He tossed the mitt at her and led her to the table.

He was right. Juliet was impressed. "This is really good." She said, pointing to the lasagna with her fork after only tasting it twice.

James grinned. "Told ya."

Juliet had tried to help clean up when they were done, but James shooed her into the living room. He joined her after throwing the dishes in the dishwasher and pouring the wine Juliet brought.

"I guess we know which movie we're gonna see." She said after a sip.

"We can see whatever you want."

Juliet cocked an eyebrow. "But you won the bet."

"The chick flick doesn't look _that_ bad." He admitted.

She laughed and tucked a some hair behind her ear. She wore jeans and a blue blouse. James was similarly dressed. She took another sip of her drink and caught him watching her. "What?" She asked.

What happened next seemed to be in slow motion. James set his glass on the coffee table and leaned in towards Juliet. His lips ghosted over hers before capturing them in a gentle kiss. He pulled away slightly. "I been wantin' to do that since the doorbell rang."

Juliet smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss. She sighed into his lips. He felt the same as the other night outside the restaurant – new and familiar, exciting and comforting. She could kiss him for days.

As their kisses intensified James' hands moved from her face to her waist. Pecks and nibbles turned into searing kisses where mouths were explored and tongues fought for dominance. He settled in against the back of the couch and pulled her onto his lap.

Juliet's knees went to each side of his waist as she settled herself on top of him. When his hand slipped underneath her shirt to rest against the skin of her lower back her mind finally caught up with what she was doing. She could feel him under her through two pairs of jeans. _Am I really going to sleep with him on the second date?_ She thought. But then he stopped and pulled away. He kept his hand on her back, but moved the hair he'd mussed back to its position behind her ear.

"We're gonna miss the movie." He said, his way of asking if this was ok.

She looked in his eyes and found the answer to the question she'd been asking herself. She leaned forward and kissed him quickly before pulling her shirt over her head. With the offending article of clothing out of the way she rested her hands on his chest. "We can see it another day." She offered. He felt so good. And it had been a _really_ long time.

James grinned. "Works for me." He pulled her back down towards him and she let her hips grind into his. He groaned at the sensation before turning them and pinning her to the couch in one swift motion. He smirked and she smiled. He then began exploring the newly exposed skin of her chest and belly.

Eventually the rest of their clothes were shed on the way to the bedroom.

Afterwards James pulled a sheet over the two of them. He wrapped his arms around Juliet and and held her tightly as she laid her head on his chest.

"I can't believe that just happened." She said with a laugh.

James' hold on her loosened. _Did she regret it already?_ He looked at her, a mixture of confusion and hurt on his face.

She tilted her head so she could see him and immediately realized how her words sounded. She propped herself up on an elbow. "I didn't mean it like that." She said seriously, locking her eyes onto his. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, hoping the kiss would prove how she felt.

James pulled her back down against him. "What did you mean?" He asked couriously.

"I've never done this before." She admitted.

His eyebrow raised. "Coulda fooled me." He stated.

She laughed. "I mean I've never done it this fast before, never on just the second date. Rachel was always the crazy one, not me."

"You don't regret it do you?" He asked tentatively.

"God, no." She was silent for a few moments, listening to his heartbeat and tracing lazy circles on his chest. "Did you know I was married before?" She asked suddenly and looked up at him again.

He nodded. "I heard." She looked surprised. "You are the best lookin' woman in that hospital. Of course everyone's gonna wanna know if you're single or not. And they're gonna talk about it." Her expression of disbelief made him laugh. "I haven't met a man yet that hasn't shown interest in you." He let his hands wander down her body and up again. "You're beautiful."

She could feel a blush creeping up at his words. She generally took compliments well, but when they were about her looks, her body, her beauty, she became self conscious and found it hard to believe. Her head returned to its place on his chest. "My ex, Edmund, he always said I was smart." She started. "He only wanted me for my research, my brain. He cheated. A lot. With young, beautiful girls. I let him get away with it for a long time because I knew I couldn't measure up."

James was flabbergasted. He knew this man must have been awful in order to make Juliet think so little of herself. He brushed the hair away from her face and waited for her took look at him again. "You. Are. Beautiful." He said. And then he said it again for more emphasis.

She smiled. "I believe you." She said. And she did. "Do people really talk about me?" She asked after a while.

He laughed. "Of course they do. Everyone's tryin' to find a way to go out with the hottest single doctor in town.

"You know" She said. "I don't think I want to be single anymore." She didn't care if they were moving fast. She didn't care if her sister thought she was crazy when she informed her of this night's activities combined with the fact that Juliet was pretty sure she was already starting to fall in love with this guy she'd met not two weeks ago. James felt right.

"I don't want ya to be either." He smiled. _I don't want you to ever be single again._ He found himself thinking. "Will you stay tonight?" He asked instead.

She nodded.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** So sorry this has taken so long! I spent a lot of time figuring out how to this chapter and trying to get it right. I hope it was worth the wait! Next chapter will be James and Rachel's meeting!

Thank you to **Moon FireStar** , a **Guest** , **Just a fan** and **wordsthinker** for your reviews of the last chapter! And **zeusfluff** for reviewing chapter 8!

I'm going to keep on writing and I hope to get chapter 11 out much sooner than previous chapters.

Please read and review!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine. (though I wish it was)

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 10**

James watched as the morning sun sparkled against Juliet's blonde hair. He was on his side facing her sleeping form in the bed next to him. She laid on her back, one arm crossed over her midsection with the other stretched out over her head.

She wore one of his old LAPD t-shirts and he spent several moments just watching the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest under the thin sheet he'd pulled over them hours earlier. His eyes traveled up to her face. Her hair was mussed. The make up that looked perfect last night was now smudged. He thought she was beautiful, maybe even more so now that her guard was down and he could memorize her features without blue eyes staring back into his.

He hadn't expected last night. Sure, the thought crossed his mind, but he didn't think it would actually happen, not this fast. He'd lost count of the number of one night stands he'd enjoyed and the number of short lived relationships he'd been a part of where the sex came too fast and too soon. He didn't want that with Juliet.

Well, he wanted the sex, but he wanted it to last. He wanted _them_ to last. It had only been a couple weeks, but he could already tell he felt differently about the blonde in his bed than he had about anyone before. She was new and exciting, yet familiar at the same time like a part of him had always known her. He found he wanted to know every single little thing about her like the name of her favorite childhood TV show and at what age she discovered Santa Claus was a fake. He'd never much cared about those things with Cassidy, although at one time he thought he loved her.

He wanted to know Juliet's favorite color and what she liked on her pizza. He wanted to know how she got her hair to be so curly on some days and straight on others. He wanted to know how she got the scar he discovered on her hip. With other women these kinds of things had been nice to know, but he never felt a primal _need_ to know them like he did now.

Juliet was different. He'd never met someone who might have read even more Stephen King novels than he had and when it came to his smart ass comments and witty remarks she could give them just as well as she could take them.

And last night. James smiled at the memory. He'd felt like he'd died and gone to heaven. He'd never had a first time that good before. She seemed to know exactly when and where to touch him and if the sounds she made were any indication he was a pretty good guesser, too.

Juliet stirred in her sleep and turned to her side, facing James. He lightly brushed fallen hair back to its place behind her ear. Her eyes opened slowly. "Hi." She said and smiled lazily.

"Hi." He said back, grinning. _Is this what real love is like?_ He thought idly before capturing her lips in a morning kiss.

The morning passed quickly. They made love again, narrowly avoiding getting interrupted by Rachel's frantic phone call.

Juliet scrambled out of bed and found her ringing cell phone in the pocket of her jeans which still laid in a heap on the floor where James had tossed them the night before. "Hello?" She said into the phone, nearly out of breath.

"Thank God, you're not dead." Rachel let out a sigh of relief. "I was worried when I saw you didn't come home last night and you didn't leave a message."

"I'm sorry, Rach. I'm fine. I stayed with James last night."

Rachel was silent for a moment. "Who are you and what have you done with my good little sister?" Juliet could hear the smirk in her sister's voice.

"Rachel!" She tried to scold her, but couldn't help the laugh that escaped. She realized Rachel was right. The tables had turned. In the past it was Rachel who jumped into relationships and beds. Now it seemed to be the other way around.

"So the way this works, Little Sis" Rachel continued. "Is you let me know when you plan to stay out all night so I won't worry and have to bother you."

Juliet laughed again. "I know." She said. "I wasn't planning to be gone all night. It just happened."

"It's about time something 'just happened' for you, Jules. I'll see you when you get home." And Rachel hung up.

* * *

A few hours later, after a shower and breakfast, Juliet arrived home. Julian was too engrossed in his cartoons to even acknowledge her presence. She found Rachel in the kitchen making lunch.

They spent a few minutes talking about Rachel's morning with Julian before the elder sister dove right into questions about Juliet's activities the previous night.

"Did you even see a movie?" Rachel asked while assembling Julian's plate.

Juliet blushed. "No."

Rachel laughed before calling Julian in to eat. She got him set up at the table before joining Juliet over by the counter. "Was it good?" Rachel whispered, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"Rach!" Juliet whispered loudly as her blush deepened.

"Come on. How many times did I give you all the dirty details back in college?" She laughed.

"I'd like to point out the fact that I never asked for those details." Juliet stated.

"Doesn't matter." Rachel looked at her, eyebrows raised, ready for the answer to her question.

"Really good." Juliet admitted quietly, but with a smile.

Rachel squealed and wrapped her sister in a hug. "I'm so happy for you, Jules!" She pulled back and turned serious. "Now when do I get to meet him?"

* * *

Juliet's phone buzzed the next morning at work. ' _Lunch today?'_ was the text message James had sent. She agreed and they picked a time to meet at the cafeteria. She set her phone down on the desk and went back to her emails, suddenly wishing lunch wasn't so far away.

She usually worked through lunch or ate something at her desk, but lunch with James sounded so much better. She needed to talk to him about meeting Rachel anyway. He called last night and they talked for nearly an hour, but she never got around to mentioning it, especially after the topic turned to their Saturday night activities.

"I'll have to cook for you more often." He'd said. She didn't tell him the cooking wouldn't be necessary.

* * *

The morning dragged on for James. He found he couldn't wait to see Juliet. His bed had felt empty the night before and he longed to touch her. He kept himself busy in the office watching cameras while Dan and John roamed the hospital. He'd already told them he had other lunch plans and although Dan looked at him funny, he didn't pry. James was glad. So far Miles was the only one at the hospital that knew about his relationship with Juliet. He knew at least every other guy in the security department had had their eye on her. He wasn't ready for their barrage of questions yet.

At noon John returned to the office to man the cameras while James went to lunch. He bounded down the stairs and came out near the entrance to the cafeteria. He saw Juliet across the hall talking to a colleague. She wore her white coat over a skirt suit and heels and although he now knew what was hidden under those layers he still couldn't help but stare as he approached.

She looked up and saw him coming towards her. She smiled and he grinned. Juliet introduced James to Carol, another OB doctor before she headed into the cafeteria. James was rooted to his spot next to Juliet. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her soundly, but there were so many people coming and going. What was he supposed to do? A quick peck? A hug? A handshake?

But then Juliet grabbed his hand and squeezed. She smiled again and he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wanted the same thing, but now was not the time or place. She kept her hand in his and they walked into the cafeteria together.

He got a burger and fries while she picked over the salad bar. They found a table for two in a quiet corner and sat down. James could feel eyes on them, especially from the table of OB nurses, but Juliet didn't seem to notice.

"My sister wants to meet you." She said before spearing some lettuce with her fork.

"'Course she does." He smiled before sticking a fry in his mouth.

She laughed. "You sure you're up for that?"

"I can take it." He said confidently. She'd already told him about Rachel's outgoing nature and the very real possibility of the grilling he would get upon their first meeting. "When does she want to get together?"

"Maybe dinner one night this week?" Juliet asked. "We can cook for you." She smiled.

"It's a date." He winked.

They continued talking and eating and afterwards James insisted on walking her back to her office.

"But I'm not going to the office. I have to see a patient." Juliet said and eyed him curiously.

"Then I'll walk you to the unit!"

James pulled her into the elevator and pushed the 'door close' button before anyone could join them. Once they were alone he placed a hand on the side of her face and stepped in close. He brought his lips to hers and her hands went to his chest.

Juliet pulled away after a couple seconds. "We're only going up a couple floors." She reminded him.

"I know." He smiled and swooped in for another quick kiss, stepping away from her just in time for the doors to open on the second floor. He looked at her and grinned conspiratorially before exiting the elevator.

Juliet shook her head at him and smiled. He walked her to the door of the OB unit. "I'll talk to Rachel tonight and call, ok?" She said.

He nodded.

She reached out and gave his hand another squeeze before going back to work.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** The longest chapter in record time! (For me, anyway!) Suliet might be a little out of character, but it's AU so we're just going to go with it. Big thanks to **zeusfluff** and **wordsthinker** for their reviews!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

Please, please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 11**

The rest of the week flew by for James and Juliet. Both were swamped at work. Miami Memorial Hospital's psychiatric unit was full. Between the man who thought he was a wizard and the woman who had a bad habit of punching other patients James' days were pretty full and Juliet was forced to take on extra patients while one of the other doctors was out sick. They managed to have lunch together only one other day, but their nightly phone conversations were still going strong.

"How was your day?" Juliet asked Thursday night as she collapsed onto her bed after a day full of stubborn pregnant women, fussy babies, and a rambunctious nephew.

"Remember how I told you about the wizard?" James sat on his couch, a beer in one hand and the phone in the other.

Juliet nodded, though she knew he couldn't see her. "Yes."

James took a swig from his bottle and replied gruffly. "Today he decided he needed to pluck a strand of hair from each patient up there in order to complete the spell he's been working on."

Juliet tried to suppress a laugh. It didn't work. "He what?" She choked out.

James chuckled. "The guy's been trying to write a spell or something to cleanse them all of their demons...or whatever." He paused for another drink. "He managed to get some hair from a couple people. They didn't seem to mind. Then that one girl punched him in the nose for getting too close." He paused. "It was a great day." He finished dryly.

"See why I didn't go into psychiatry?"

"Definitely." James downed the rest of his beer.

"Are we still on for tomorrow night?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Of course!" James straightened up and smiled just thinking about the weekend ahead of him. Tomorrow night he would go to Juliet and Rachel's for a home cooked meal made by the sisters where he'd meet Rachel and Julian. And as long as Juliet found someone to take her on-call shift she'd go back to his place with him afterwards and they'd spend the weekend together. "Did you get your shift covered?" He asked, praying the answer was 'yes'.

"Kelly owed me one." She said. "She took the whole weekend."

"I can't wait."

* * *

Rachel was in the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Juliet was helping Julian set the table. All three looked up at the sound. "He's here!" Rachel sing-songed to Juliet with a smile.

Juliet smiled and started for the door with Julian close behind.

James stood outside holding a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers. He looked down at his polo shirt and nice jeans and hoped he dressed appropriately. He wasn't exactly nervous, but he wanted Rachel to like him.

The door opened and there was Juliet. Her hair was somewhere between curly and straight and she had half of it pinned behind her head. "Hi." She said with a big smile.

James smiled back and looked down to see blue eyes peeking from behind Juliet's legs. "You must be Julian." He said to the boy. Julian nodded and stepped out from behind his aunt. "I've heard a lot about you." James continued. "It's nice to finally meet ya." James wasn't entirely sure how to act around kids or what to say to them, but by the smile still on Juliet's face he figured he was doing alright.

She stepped aside to let him in the door. He handed her the wine. "Thought I oughta contribute somethin'." He said with a shrug.

"It's great." She said.

He could see her eyeing the flowers. "These are for you and Rachel."

She took them and knelt down to Julian's height. "Got a big job for you, Buddy. Think you can do it?" He nodded fiercely. "Take these to Mommy and help her put them in some water?"

Julian smiled and took the flowers, holding them carefully as he went back to the kitchen.

Juliet set the wine down on a nearby table. "Trying to impress my sister?" She asked with a smirk while stepping towards James.

"Figured it couldn't hurt." He set his car keys and cell phone down on the table next to the wine before grinning and wrapping his arms around her. "I've missed you." He said quietly into her hair with her body pressed against his.

She pulled back enough to look at him. "I've missed you too." She replied before pressing her lips to his.

Juliet pulled away after a moment and smiled, taking his hand. James smiled back and followed her through the house and into the kitchen.

They found Rachel helping Julian put the flowers in a vase and then on the table. James studied the elder sister while he had the chance. She had short blonde hair and shared the same nose as Juliet. Rachel was slightly shorter and her face was a little more round, but James could definitely see the family resemblance.

Rachel sent Julian off to wash his hands before dinner and then looked towards Juliet and James. He tried to stand up a little straighter. He smiled and Juliet introduced him.

"This is James." She told her sister with a smile, her hand still in his.

Rachel was more than a little surprised at the sight in front of her. She had never known Juliet to go for the scruffy, long haired look on a guy, but after Edmund she figured maybe a step away from the norm was exactly what her little sister needed. James reached out a hand and Rachel shook it.

"Nice to meet ya." He said. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise." Rachel replied. She smiled sweetly and tilted her head in Juliet's direction. "Hurt her and I'll kill you." She said conversationally, smile still in place.

"Rach!" Juliet's eyes were wide. She had figured her big sister would do something to intimidate James, but she hadn't counted on something so... _direct_.

James laughed. "It's ok, Blondie." He said to Juliet.

Rachel's eyebrows went up at the nickname.

"I ain't gonna hurt her." James spoke to Rachel this time. "Never." He added seriously, looking at Juliet.

Rachel couldn't decide if she was more surprised by James' looks, his use of the word 'ain't', or Juliet allowing him to call her 'Blondie'.

Julian suddenly flew back into the kitchen. "Eat now?" He asked.

They all sat down and Julian ate happily while the adults talked through the meal. Rachel learned more about James; how he ended up in Miami and what his job at the hospital was like. James learned some interesting stories about Juliet's childhood.

They were clearing off the table afterwards when Rachel kept eyeing Juliet. The younger sister knew it was code for _'I want to talk to you. Alone.'_ James was still at the table letting Julian entertain him with his stories of preschool. The boy was generally shy around new faces, but he'd taken to James quickly. Juliet walked the last few dishes over to the sink before turning to her nephew.

"Hey, Julian." She said. His head shot up as he looked at her. "Did you know James was a cop?" She smirked.

Julian's face lit up and he smiled widely. He shook his head. "No." He replied.

"Well he was."

Julian looked to James who nodded. "Sure was." He smiled, but wondered what he'd just gotten into.

The boy took James' hand and started pulling him in the direction of the hallway. "Come on!" He nearly yelled, dragging his new friend towards his bedroom.

James looked to Juliet for help. She smiled. "You'll be fine." She said, knowing he wouldn't have to do anything but listen as Julian showed him his collection of toy police cars and play sets. The boy was fascinated by the sirens, badges, and the excitement of always catching the bad guy.

Rachel laughed as the two headed down the hall. "He's gonna kill you." She said.

Juliet chuckled. "He'll be alright." She said. "Julian seems to really like him."

Rachel stopped her dishwashing. "I do, too." She said.

Juliet looked at her and smiled. "Really?"

Rachel dried her hands and continued. "Yeah, he's a little rough around the edges, but he seems like a great guy." She smiled. "I'm happy for you, Jules." She wrapped her sister in a hug. "I just wanted to tell you I approve." She said after pulling away. "Now go get that wine so we can finish up here and you two can start your weekend." She waggled her eyebrows and Juliet smacked her shoulder on her way out of the room.

Rachel finished the dishes quickly. She really did like James. He was different and nothing like she'd expected, but she could tell he cared for her sister. She'd seen the way he looked at her across the table and hadn't missed the way Juliet looked back. They were expressions she'd never seen on Edmund's face and any doubts she'd had about Juliet moving too quickly were beginning to fade away.

* * *

Juliet headed into the living room to get the bottle of wine they'd left on the table. She could hear Julian babbling down the hall and could picture James sitting on the bed listening intently, nodding enthusiastically when needed. She smiled.

The wine was there next to James' phone and keys. She picked up the bottle and felt of it. Not cold anymore, but still cool enough to drink. Flashing from James' phone caught her eye. The screen lit up. He was getting a phone call. She went to pick up up the phone when she noticed the caller ID. Cassidy's name lit up in big white letters across the screen. She watched it ring, hand still hovering near the phone. After a few seconds that felt like forever it stopped. The call went to voicemail and the screen lit up again. 2 MISSED CALLS. It said. Only Cassidy's name shown underneath.

 _How could I be so stupid?_ She thought. Was he married? Was she just his girl on the side when this Cassidy person was busy?

Juliet's heart sank. She'd believed every word James had said. That he was single. That she was beautiful. That he'd never hurt her.

Ed was right. She wasn't good enough. She never would be.

Her eyes watered, but she refused to let any tears fall. She couldn't do this. Not here. Not now. Not after Rachel had given James her seal of approval and Julian was captivated by him. She gripped the wine bottle tighter. She was supposed to spend the weekend with him. She took a breath. She'd leave with him tonight, confront him when they were alone, and take a cab back home. She'd tell Rachel he'd been called into work.

Juliet swallowed the lump in her throat and went back to the kitchen.

She and James arrived at the same time. "He had me read him a book and didn't make it halfway through." He told Rachel.

She laughed and looked at the clock. "It's close enough to bedtime. He's had a big day. Why don't you guys just take the wine to go?" She smiled. "I'll get him to bed and watch whatever I want on TV for once." She elbowed Juliet who faked a laugh and a smile.

"Ok." James said. "If you're sure?"

Rachel nodded. "Go. Have fun." She hugged her sister. "I'll see you later."

Rachel headed down the hall while Juliet followed James to the car. He smiled and opened the passenger door for her before getting in on the other side. He paused before starting the car and eyed her curiously. "You ok?" He asked.

Juliet nodded. "Great." She managed a small smile.

James held her hand and they drove to his apartment in what he thought was companionable silence. "I got some movies for us." He said at one point. She just smiled and said "ok". _Maybe she's nervous_. He thought. He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled back.

Juliet let him hold her hand. It was rough and soft and fit perfectly around her own, but suddenly it wasn't a comfort anymore. Her overnight bag sat on the floor board by her feet. She was tempted to laugh at it. _Won't be needing that ever again._ She thought.

They made it to the apartment and James carried her bag up for her, still confused by her demeanor. He set it down inside and ran a hand through his hair. "So, uh, movies are on the coffee table if you wanna pick one." He wanted to kiss her, to hold her, to touch her. It'd been so long, but with the way she was acting he didn't think any of those things would be welcomed. "I'll open the wine." He said and went to the kitchen.

Juliet took a deep breath. She didn't know how to do this. She didn't _want_ to do this. She wanted to run out the door and never look back, but she knew that would likely only make things worse. She went over to the coffee table and looked at the movies. _What was he going to try to fool her with this time?_ She found two copies of _Carrie_ the original one from the 70's and the newer version. Underneath those were _Casablanca_ and _Truly Madly Deeply_. They'd had a short conversation about movies once and he'd remembered her favorite. And he'd gotten the two based off of her favorite book. He was good, so good. Maybe she couldn't blame herself for falling for it.

She held the DVDs in her hands and hugged them to her as the first tear fell. It was followed by more silent tears and she found she couldn't stop them. She could hear him coming back now and she set the movies down. She stood and wiped furiously at her eyes before turning around to face him.

James stopped in his tracks, bottle of wine in one hand, two empty glasses in the other. "Juliet?" He asked, voice full of concern, worry, and confusion.

Juliet choked out a sob. More tears came.

He put everything down on the kitchen table and went to her, flabbergasted when she pulled away as he tried to touch her. "Juliet, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I can't believe I believed everything." She said after composing herself. "I should've known better." She shook her head at her own stupidity.

"What are you talking about?" James was more than confused now.

"You're just like Edmund." She said. The tears stopped. The sadness inside fighting with the anger to see which emotion would come out on top.

"What?" James asked, his voice growing louder. He couldn't have heard her right.

"How many other girlfriends do you have?" Juliet asked, her face becoming neutral, an icy stare forming.

"Just you." James said. "At least I thought so. What happened? Where is this coming from?!"

"Who's Cassidy?" She asked calmly.

"Cassidy? How do you know about Cassidy?"

"She's called at least twice tonight. I saw it when I was getting the wine off the table by your phone. You said you don't have any family left." Juliet sighed. "I'm not stupid, James."

"Cassidy is nothing." James put special emphasis on the last word. "We broke up months ago. I wouldn't have moved across the country if I still felt anything for her." He was desperate for her to believe him. He wasn't Edmund. He wasn't trying to trick her or use her. "She keeps calling even though I don't answer! I don't want anything to do with her!"

Juliet just looked at him. She wanted to believe him, but she just couldn't let herself do it. "I should go." She said and turned towards the door, head facing down, looking at the carpet.

"Jules, wait!" James said and reached for her. She turned at his touch and watched as he pulled his cell phone out of his jeans pocket and dropped it onto the floor. "I've been meaning to get my number changed for weeks so she'll leave me alone." He placed one booted foot on top of the phone and followed with all his weight. Plastic and glass cracked underneath. "I don't want her." He said desperately. "I want you."

Juliet could see something in his eyes. Could she have been wrong?

"Please let me explain." He asked.

She looked at him silently for a moment. "Ok." She said and followed his lead, sitting next to him on the couch.

James talked. Juliet listened. He told her about the on again, off again relationship he and Cassidy had shared. He told her how they'd never really been good for each other, how their relationship was never based on anything meaningful, how she'd cheated on him with his partner, and how he'd moved across the country so he could start over with his best friend by his side and Cassidy firmly in his past. He told her how he'd thought he'd loved Cassidy, but now he knew he never did. He'd never felt anything for Cassidy like he did for the woman in front of him.

The pieces fit together in Juliet's mind. She'd never heard so much emotion from James. When he finished he brought his hand up to her face and used his thumb to clear away the last remnants of her tears. "Please believe me." He said. "I just want you."

Juliet felt stupid again. But this time for an entirely different reason. "I'm sorry." She said. "I overreacted."

"No." He pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her. "Edmund made you think you're not good enough." He told her. "But you are. You're better than good enough. You're the best there is." He whispered into her hair.

She choked out a laugh. "I don't know about that part." She said.

James laughed with her. "I do." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. "I told Rachel I'd never hurt ya." He said. "I meant it."

Juliet closed the distance between them again, wrapping her arms around him and losing her hands in his hair. "I'm sorry." She said again quietly.

"It's ok. I should have told you sooner."

They talked for a while longer, more about Edmund and Cassidy. Then James put a movie in, her favorite, and they curled up together on the couch. All week their plans for this night had revolved around much more intimate activities, but now, after such a long week and emotionally draining last hour they found all the needed was the closeness and comfort of each other. They fell asleep in each others arms before the end of the movie.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** So sorry for the long delay. Work has been horrible lately and I haven't had much time to write.

Thank you to **wordsthinker** for reviewing the last chapter!

 **Disclaimer** : Lost is not mine.

Please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

James sat at their usual table waiting for Juliet. He almost always got there first, but she usually managed to get there pretty soon after. Today he'd been waiting almost ten minutes already. The cafeteria was filling up and his pizza was getting cold. He finally started on it without her and scanned the room again. There she was, heading towards him with her own slice of pizza and a diet coke balanced on her tray. He smiled.

Juliet neared the table and his smile faltered. In the weeks since what he mentally referred to as the 'Cassidy Confusion' they'd become even closer. They had lunch together every day they could and she'd taken to spending nights with when their schedules allowed. Their schedules _hadn't_ allowed lately, but he needed to focus. He knew her current facial expression. It was one of confusion and slight anger. She gave him a small smile as she set her tray down across from him.

"What's up?" He asked casually.

"Do you notice people talking about us?" She asked seriously. "Do the guys talk about us?"

"No. I mean, I don't know." He stammered. By 'they guys' she meant the security guys and he was not about to tell her how mere hours ago Dan had asked for information regarding her skills in the bedroom. The man had been so sure Juliet was a lesbian due to her long standing singleness that once he found out she was with James he seemed to need concrete proof as to why his theory was incorrect. Today James was saved from having to answer his questions by a helicopter coming in with a transfer patient. "Why?" He asked.

She opened her soda. "I've noticed some of the nurses acting strange around me. Whispering. Looking at me. Going silent when I walk by. That kind of thing."

James nodded.

"So I just asked Kelly about it and she said some people had noticed us spending time together and it's become the best gossip around."

He was unfazed by the news. "Want me to take ya on the salad bar?" He nodded in that direction. "That'll give 'em somethin' to talk about." He grinned.

Her eyebrows shot up at his suggestion. "James!" She scolded.

"What?" He asked innocently. "It's been a while! Can't blame a guy for tryin." He laughed.

She shook her head trying not to laugh. "Saturday." She reminded him. She'd been working late the past week and hadn't been able to spend nights with him. Saturday they had plans to take Julian to the zoo and then spend the night together.

"Saturday." James repeated. "On the salad bar?"

Juliet laughed. "You're horrible." She told him with a smile. He grinned.

"Why's it matter if they talk, anyway?" He asked.

"I don't know. I just don't like it." She said. "Shouldn't they have more important things to worry about?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure it'll blow over soon."

She sighed. "You're probably right."

They continued with their lunch. They talked about her late shift the night before and his early morning, but the whole time Juliet was mulling over his question in the back of her mind. Why _did_ it matter if they talked? She knew she didn't really care what they thought about her or her relationship with James. It was the whispering behind her back and the eyes that followed her sometimes that she didn't like. She knew those things would make anyone unhappy, but she felt unnecessarily angry and hurt by them. She didn't used to be bothered by them. It hit her while James was talking about how busy the ER had been the last few days.

People had talked about her before, years ago when she still worked at the research facility with Edmund. Everyone knew she knew he was having affairs and they also knew she didn't have the balls to do anything about it. Break rooms would go silent when she entered. She'd hear whispers and snickers as she passed coworkers in the hallway. Just like with Ed's cheating she acted like she didn't know about it. They were mocking her and she knew it. And it made her feel horrible.

Juliet had been a different person back then. She finally got the courage to divorce Edmund even though it cost her her research. Since then she'd become stronger and wiser. She no longer let people walk all over her.

She was only half listening to James as they got up to take their trays to the counter and go back to work. The gossiping in the past had been because others were making fun of her or feeling sorry for her. Now, after looking at James, she knew it was different. This time they were jealous. Before she started seeing him a couple nurses had commented on the hot new security guard.

That hot new security guard was now hers.

As they headed towards the elevator James took her hand. It was generally the only physical contact he got while they were at the hospital unless they happened to find themselves alone in her office or an elevator. She wanted to keep things professional and he understood.

The hall leading to the cafeteria was busy. People were going in all directions either trying to get away from or back to work. They stopped outside the busy elevators. "Want me to walk you up?" He asked.

Juliet smiled. She knew he was busy and shouldn't take the time to walk her to her office. "No, it's ok." She said. His face fell and she knew why. He always managed to steal a kiss somewhere between the cafeteria and her destination on the second floor. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his in a short, but meaningful kiss.

James' eyes closed. His other hand went to her upper arm, wanting to pull her close, but knowing it wasn't the place.

She pulled back almost as suddenly as it started. She smiled and squeezed his hand, looking only at him, not worrying about who might be around to talk and report back to others on what they'd just witnessed.

"What about - ?" He started, not knowing how to put her earlier worries into words.

"Doesn't matter." She answered.

He grinned.

A smiling Juliet stepped into a crowded elevator and rode it up as James headed back to the security office. _That woman._ He thought. Every time he thought he had her figured out she'd surprise him. And he loved it.

He walked through the ER and stopped at the monitors to see what kind of patients they had today. A spider bite in room 3, a rash in 4. A ten year old with abdominal pain sat in 15 with his mother. An elderly woman awaited x-ray results in 17 after a fall at home. So far so good. Not too busy and not psych patients. After the last few days James was thankful for the quiet.

Gene was in the office when he got back. The man was an ex truck driver and quite full of himself, but was a nice enough guy. He got up out of one of the office chairs and stretched his long limbs. "Gettin' tired of sittin'." He told James. "You mind if I walk a while?"

James shook his head. "Go ahead." He said and took a seat in his favorite blue chair. He didn't mind the time to himself. On quiet days he generally spent it thinking about Juliet and what she was doing just one floor above him.

Gene left the office and James settled down to watch the monitors. He was tempted to put his feet up on the desk, but resisted the urge. He watched people come and go and scurry down hallways to their destinations until his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, hoping it was Juliet, but knowing that was unlikely.

It was Miles. 'We still on for tonight or have you made other plans Romeo?' The text message said.

James wasn't fond of the nickname, but knew he should have expected it considering Juliet's name was, well, Juliet.

He and Miles had plans for pizza and beer once he got off work. He typed out a response. 'Yeah I'll be there.' He sent and a moment later he sent a second message. 'And stop calling me Romeo.' He didn't expect his plea to work, but decided to try anyway. He knew if one of his friend's was dating a woman named Juliet he'd call them Romeo for the rest of their life.

"Romeooo!" Miles greeted him loudly in the bar that night.

* * *

The zoo was wonderful for all involved. It was surprisingly not too busy despite the nice day. James and Juliet dutifully followed Julian along the paths to see each animal. The boy was fascinated by each one.

They rode the train and the carousel, watched the zookeepers feed the elephants, and saw a dolphin show. Julian's excitement rubbed off on the adults and they, too, found themselves looking forward to each exhibit.

Julian adored James. When Juliet informed him he needed to hold hands while crossing a street or going through a crowded area the boy reached up and stuck his hand inside James' without a second look at his aunt. The first time James' looked at Juliet, eyes wide with uncertainty. He didn't know what to do with a kid. She laughed and was about to redirect Julian by taking his other hand, but the boy's grip on James' strengthened and he pulled him over to the fence to see the zebras. By the end of the day James' had taken to hoisting Julian onto his shoulders so he could see into large exhibits with far away animals.

Before leaving they stopped a concession stand for a snack. James and Juliet talked while Julian worked on a melting ice cream cone. They were interrupted by an elderly woman stopping in front of them. "Such a darling boy." She said, referring to Julian. "You two have a beautiful family." She smiled and walked away before James or Juliet could say anything.

Then Julian dropped his cone and the incident was forgotten.

After Julian was returned to Rachel, James and Juliet headed for his apartment. They had dinner and made up for all the time they'd had to spend apart lately.

And late that night James laid awake, Juliet sleeping soundly beside him, thinking about the old woman's comment at the zoo. Him. Her. A family? Could that ever be possible? The last time he'd been a part of a real family things hadn't gone well. And he hadn't gotten around to telling her about that yet. He liked to keep his childhood memories to himself and usually whenever someone found out it changed things. He'd start to see the pity in their eyes every time he looked at them. Eventually he'd never see them again. He didn't want that with Juliet, but a part of him felt like he needed to tell her, like she needed to see all of him. She'd shared so much of herself with him and he'd just given her the 'my parents died' speech.

He was at war within himself for a long time that night. Tell her? Don't tell her? Would she be afraid he would snap like his father? That he'd one day he would decide he'd had enough and end things for both of them? Sometimes he wondered how much of that could be genetic, how much of his father was inside of him.

Eventually he made a decision or, rather, he decided he'd let her decide. He told himself if she woke up before he fell asleep he'd tell her right then and there.

Five minutes later she stirred. His heartbeat increased. She turned over to face him and opened her eyes before wrapping an arm around his chest. "Can't sleep?" She asked, very much awake.

He took a deep breath and told her everything.

She told him he must take after his mother because he's nothing like his father. Then, she told him it wasn't his fault.

His breath hitched. It was like she could read his mind. He couldn't see her features clearly in the dark, but the moonlight illuminated enough. He saw her caring gaze marked with sadness from his story. But he saw no pity. He saw no fear. It was at that moment a part of James realized there was a strong chance he loved Juliet Burke.

He pulled her closer to kiss her fiercely before showing her exactly how he felt without having to say a word.

They fell asleep around dawn.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** So originally there was a beginning to this chapter that showed Juliet meeting Miles, but it wasn't working. Can we just pretend it happened?

Big thanks to **sandyba** and **Guest** for their reviews on the last chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Lost. (Though I wish I did!)

Please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 13**

Juliet walked towards her office with a large smile and hopes that her face was no longer flushed, her hair did not look mussed, and her blouse was properly tucked into her skirt all the way around. She'd taken the stairs down from her meeting on the 5th floor. James happened to be taking the same stairs up while making his rounds. They stopped in a stairwell to talk and somehow talking turned into kissing and the next thing she knew he had her backed into a corner. His mouth was hot and frantic against hers and one of his hands managed to find its way under her shirt, his palm laid flat against the smooth skin of her lower back, holding her against him.

"The cameras." She said breathlessly as he started a trail down her neck from the place where her jaw met her ear to the hollow at the base of her throat. Her hands pressed against his chest, but she couldn't make them push him away.

"There ain't no cameras in the stairs, Blondie." He nearly growled in against her neck.

Juliet sighed in relief and let herself focus on James and his actions for a moment before reminding him "We're still at work.".

James' mouth found hers again and slowed down. She met him for a couple slower, less frantic kisses before he disentangled himself from her and took a step back.

Juliet took a breath and immediately started laughing when she looked at James.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"You've got lipstick." She said and moved to wipe it off the corner of his mouth with her thumb. "There." She said she when she was done.

He smiled.

"You're insatiable." She pointed out while trying to tuck her shirt back in quickly.

"Not my fault I can't get enough of ya." He said grinning. "And I ain't never heard any complaints."

She gave him a knowing smile in return and smoothed out her hair with her hands. "How's my face?" She asked.

"Beautiful." He replied instantly.

She rolled her eyes. "I meant how badly did you mess up my makeup?"

He studied her for a moment and just when she was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his gaze he spoke. "Ya look fine."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely."

"I gotta get back to the office." She said, though she didn't want to.

"And I got doors to check. See you later?"

She nodded.

He smiled, gave her hand a squeeze and started back up the stairs.

Juliet was amazed. She'd never felt so good in her life. No one had ever made her feel the way James did – happy, intelligent, beautiful, desirable, wanted.

She neared her office and was surprised to find the door open. She didn't always lock it during the day, but she knew she'd closed the door when she left.

She took one step into the room and froze. Her smiled vanished and her eyes widened in disbelief before her face took on a stony expression. "What are you doing here?" She asked icily.

"Long time no see, Jules." Edmund said. He was sitting in her chair, his feet resting on the corner of her desk, a smug smile on his face.

Juliet hadn't seen her ex-husband since the divorce was finalized. She stood and stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. He had even less hair than he'd had three years ago and the lines of his face had deepened, but it was still him.

Edmund made a show of looking around the room. "Not a bad place you've got here." He said and then added "Not a corner office though."

Juliet was reminded of all the other times he put her down and fought to keep those feelings at bay. "What do you want?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

He took his feet off the desk and sat up straight in her chair. "I wanted to talk."

"You could have called."

"Would you have answered if I had?"

Juliet knew she would've likely asked to have her number changed if he called, but she didn't say anything.

"That's what I thought." He stood and rounded the desk, choosing instead to lean against the wood. "I want you back." He said.

Juliet was sure there was something wrong with her hearing. "You wha-?"

She was interrupted by the overhead PA system of the hospital. A female voice flowed into the office. "Code Gray Surgery. Code Gray Surgery." The announcement vaguely registered in her mind.

Edmund shook his head. "Hospitals." He said and then stepped closer to Juliet. "You know you don't belong here. You belong in research. With me."

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Ed took it as an open invitation. He reached out and lightly grasped her arm. "I've missed you." He said. "Come back with me." His face stayed neutral and his tone of voice didn't seem to go with the words he said.

Juliet's mind snapped into focus at his touch. She shook him off violently and stepped back. "No." She said forcefully. "Don't you touch me." She saw a flash of anger cross his features, but he stayed calm.

"Alright." He said. "No touching. Just come work for me."

Juliet could've laughed at the absurdity of the idea. "I don't think so." She said in a voice that clearly meant 'no'.

"We could be great, Juliet." He was getting more animated now. He wasn't used to not getting his way and he'd expected Juliet to come willingly. "No one else can do what you do." He turned and took a picture frame off the desk; it contained the picture of Rachel and Julian at his last birthday. "You made this possible." He held the photo out to her and shook it for emphasis. "No one has been able to replicate your work."

She snatched the picture from his hand and held it against her chest protectively.

"I'll pay you triple what you're getting here. Don't you want to give more people like Rachel the children they so desperately want?"

Juliet steeled her gaze at him. She knew exactly what he was doing. And she was having no part of it. "No." She said confidently.

Edmund looked surprised.

"I played God and it wasn't right. I could have killed my sister or left my nephew motherless when her cancer came back." She'd thought long and hard about this. She loved Julian, but she realized now that she and Rachel had gotten very lucky, so many things could have gone wrong. "You have my research." She told Ed. "Figure it out yourself if you want it so bad." She brushed past him and placed the picture back on her desk. She was done with him.

Edmund worked his jaw before setting it in a hard line. "I have your notes, but I don't have everything." He worked hard to keep from raising his voice. "There are things you didn't write down, things only you know."

Juliet was well aware of that and was about to tell him exactly what she thought he ought to do with those notes when her office phone rang. She looked down. 'Security' shown on the caller ID. "I have to take this." She said knowing it would make him angry and hoping it would make him leave. She sat down behind the desk. "Hello?" She said into the phone, already knowing it would be James, idly wondering what Edmund's face would look like if she asked James to escort him out of the building.

"Juliet?" The male voice said from the other end of the phone. "It's Miles."

"Miles?" She asked. "Is everything ok?"

"James is in the ER. You need to get down here." He sounded distracted, worried, and busy.

Juliet's heart sank. She remembered the announcement earlier. "What? What happened?"

"The code gray. He got hit. He's asking for you. He's in fifteen. You gotta hurry if you wanna get here before..." Miles was cut off by yelling Juliet could hear in the background. "I gotta go." He said and hung up.

She heard the phone click, but still held it to her ear hoping Miles' voice would return and tell her everything was ok. She was near tears.

"Something wrong?" Edmund asked impatiently.

Juliet stood and grabbed her cell phone, purse, and keys. "I have to go." She said, pulling herself together.

"We're not done here." He replied sternly.

Juliet stood face to face with him, pleased to see she was still significantly taller than he was, especially in heels. "I want you out of my office and out of this hospital." She said with more fire and anger than he'd ever heard from her before. "And I never want to see you again."

Ed was oddly calm. "You've changed, Jules." He said. "I'll see you around." He turned and left the room.

Juliet took a shaky breath. _James_. She left the office quickly and locked the door this time. She stuck her head into Kelly's office next door. "Got an emergency. Don't know when I'll be back." And she was down the hall before the other woman had time to look up from her papers.

Code gray. Which one was that again? Was that the one that mean someone had a gun? _"He got hit."_ That could mean he got shot. _"You gotta hurry."_ Code gray must be the gun one.

Juliet's mind was racing as she went down the stairs as fast as she could. She was overwhelmed with emotions – anger and disgust at seeing Edmund, pride for standing up for herself, and worry, grief and sadness for what she might find in the ER.

She used her badge on the ER doors and silently cursed the length of time it took them to open automatically. It was noisy and loud and busy inside, but it hardly registered. She spotted the sign for room fifteen and ran to it. The sliding glass door was open, but the curtain behind it was closed. She took a deep breath quickly and pulled it open.

"You gotta tell them they can't cut my hair." James was sitting up on the bed, his back resting against the pillow. He looked at her with boyish pleading eyes. Drying blood covered his face and matted in his hair. He still wore the gray and black security uniform and seemed to be in one piece. Most importantly he was _alive_.

Juliet dropped her things into a nearby chair and stared at him. She'd been so afraid she'd find him close to death if not there already. The flood of emotions she'd been keeping in check finally broke free and tears started to fall. She brought her hands to her face in an attempt to wipe them away.

"Hey." James said softly, brows furrowing. "You ok? I'm fine. Didn't Miles tell you?" He stood up only to immediately fall back onto the bed, cringing at the pain in his head.

Juliet went to him, sitting next to him on the bed. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her in return.

"It's ok." He said. "I'm ok." He could feel the hot tears against his skin and hoped he wasn't getting blood all over her.

After a moment Juliet was able to gain control of her emotions and the tears stopped. She inhaled deeply, relishing in his scent and his arms around her tightly. She pulled back and looked into his eyes, eyes she thought she'd never get to see again. Her hands went to his face, caressing and ignoring the blood there.

James looked at her silently, concerned, his arms still around her.

"I love you, James." Juliet spoke confidently and with passion in her voice.

James smiled. "I love you, too." He pulled her back in and hugged her tight. "I'd kiss you, but I don't think you want my blood all over you." He whispered into her ear.

She laughed and pulled away. After finding a clean spot on his cheek she kissed him.

He brushed stray strands of blonde hair away from her eyes. "You ok?" He asked.

She nodded. "I am now."

"Good! You made it." Miles burst into the small room. "I was hoping you wouldn't be in the middle of havin' a baby." He stood next to Juliet.

James got up before Juliet knew what was happening. He leaned on her for support, reached across her, and smacked Miles upside the head. He then collapsed back onto the bed, eyes shut tight with a hand on his forehead, willing the pain to stop.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Miles rubbed his head.

James leaned back against the pillow and assured Juliet he was fine. "The hell did you tell her?" He asked. "She came in here thinkin' I was dead!"

"Dude was tryin' to fight people again so I didn't get a chance to explain everything!" The smaller man defended himself. "I just said you got hit during the code gray and you were askin' for her. Tried to tell her she needed to hurry if she wanted to get here before they took you for that scan."

"What scan?" Juliet was concerned again.

"They just wanna make sure it didn't crack my skull." James pointed to the side of his head where the most blood was concentrated.

Juliet examined the wound. "Wait." She said after getting a good look at it. "You didn't get shot?"

"Code _gray_." Miles stressed the second word. "That's the combative person one. Code _silver_ is the one with the weapon. Why can no one remember that?!" He asked exasperatedly.

"Then what happened?" Juliet looked between the two men for an explanation.

Miles started talking. Juliet listened as she began cleaning the blood from James' face.

The psychiatric patient in room eleven had decided to make a run for it, but he took a wrong turn and ended up going deeper into the hospital instead of outside. Security was notified immediately. They followed, along with a couple of male nurses who weren't busy. The guy ended up in the surgery waiting room and grabbed a fire extinguisher as a makeshift weapon in an attempt to keep people from getting too close.

"He was waving it around like mad!" Miles said. "Then Jim came out of a stairwell behind him. He almost had him when the guy noticed him. He whacked him pretty good, but Jim still took him down!"

"He hit you with a fire extinguisher?" Juliet asked James for clarification.

James nodded slightly as Juliet still had a hold of his face, using a wet towel to wipe off the blood. "Maybe he thought I was too hot." He chuckled.

Juliet shook her head. "You're full of yourself." She said. "You're lucky it didn't bash your head in."

"I tried to duck."

"Anyway." Miles continued, still on an adrenaline high from the incident. "We got him back in his room and when I was on the phone with you he started swinging at the nurse's aid. I had to go help.

He's netted up now." Miles said somewhat proudly.

Juliet paused her work and raised an eyebrow at Miles. "Netted up?"

"Yeah, we got a net that goes over the patient and the bed. Holds the arms and legs in place. The head sticks out the top. Keeps them from hurting themselves or others. They'll have us undo it once he calms down."

Juliet could hardly imagine such a thing. Once again she was glad she chose obstetrics over psychiatry. "That sounds horrible." She said.

Miles shrugged. "It's a last resort. We only do it if the doctor tells us to."

Juliet put her towel down and examined James' face. "Much better." She said and examined the wound again. "You definitely need stitches."

James looked at her seriously. "Doc said they'd have to cut my hair, maybe even shave some, to be able to do that. You can't let them."

Juliet laughed and then noticed his expression. She looked at his head again. "They won't be able to do it right if they don't."

He frowned.

"I like your hair the way it is, too. It'll grow back."

He looked at her and smirked. "Will you still love me with short hair?"

"I'd love you even if you had no hair." She smiled.

They were looking into each others eyes with goofy grins and Miles was getting uncomfortable. "Still here guys." He reminded them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** So sorry it's taken so long! I've been battling a lot of migraines lately, one of which was a month long and kept me from doing much of anything with a computer. But I'm feeling better now and you're about to read the longest chapter I've ever written for anything! Plus I've already started on the next one!

Huge thank yous to **wordsthinker** and a **Guest** for their reviews of the last chapter! You guys keep me going!

 **Disclaimer:** Sadly, Lost does not belong to me.

Please read and review! It makes me happy and helps me write faster knowing you guys are out there waiting to read it!

(And for James' new haircut - think Josh Holloway in Intelligence!)

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 14**

A couple hours later James and Juliet walked hand in hand out of the ER, both still high on the adrenaline from the situation, the rush of declaring their love for the first time, and in James' case some good painkillers. "You headed back to work?" He asked.

"Nope." She said. "No babies to deliver today and everything else can wait." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I'm taking you home."

He smiled back before his brows furrowed. "Please tell me you didn't park a mile away." The hospital offered an underground parking garage for doctors, but Juliet often chose to park in one of the far employee lots instead. She claimed she needed the exercise. James thought she was crazy.

Juliet rolled her eyes. "I was running late today so I'm in the garage." They headed in that direction and she was thankful he wasn't trying to convince her to let him drive. His scans and x-rays were all normal, but he was leaving work with a concussion, ten stitches, a good dose of painkillers in his system, and the next three days off.

"So what are we going to do with all of this unexpected free time?" James waggled his eyebrows at Juliet and wrapped his arms around her waist as soon as she closed the door to his apartment.

She laughed and let him pull her close, entwining her arms around his neck. " _You_ are resting." She said seriously, but still with a smile.

"I'm fine." He reminded her playfully.

Her eyes went to the line of stitches on the left side of his head and her smile faded. They were surrounded by red, angry skin in a patch of hair that looked nearly bald compared to the rest of his long locks. She didn't like to see him hurt, but she was thankful it wasn't more serious. She thought back to the excruciatingly long minutes when she'd thought he was dead. Her arms around him tightened and she rested her head on his chest.

James placed a kiss on the top of her head and rubbed his hands along her back. He knew she was right. He needed rest. And he was sure he'd likely feel like shit as soon as his meds wore off. He couldn't help but joke in serious situations and though he knew she'd turn him down, a part of him still hoped she'd take him up on his offer. He'd finally told her he loved her after weeks of keeping it to himself. He longed to prove how much he meant it.

"I love you." He said again instead.

She looked up and smiled. "I love you, too."

He brought his lips to hers in a passionate, but quick kiss. "How about a movie night?" He suggested.

She nodded. "I'll order the pizza."

Two hours and a large pepperoni later the ending credits started to roll. James and Juliet were on the couch. She leaned against him, her head on his shoulder and his arm around her. The remote sat on the arm of the couch on his other side and after going through the list of the movie's primary actors Juliet was confused. Why hadn't he said anything or at least stopped the movie?

"James?" She asked and looked up. He was fast asleep with his head resting against the back of the couch. He'd been awake not fifteen minutes before, asking her what she thought of the movie. If it had been any other night she would have laughed.

Instead, she got up carefully and turned off the TV. She gathered the pizza box and paper plates from the coffee table. With no real dishes to do she was done cleaning up a lot faster than she had hoped. She went back to the living room and watched his sleeping form. She knew she should wake him and send him to bed, but she wanted to let him sleep a while longer. He needed it.

She busied herself with laundry and unintentionally let her mind wander over the past twelve hours. It was the first time she'd been alone since the morning. Coworkers were in and out of James' room the whole time he was in the ER and while he was away for tests she gave updates to Rachel and arranged for the next day off with her bosses. Now, with only the sound of the washer and dryer to keep her company, her thoughts went to Edmund.

To say she'd been shocked to see him would have been an understatement and after that initial feeling wore off she was just angry, angry at him for waltzing back into her life when things had just started going well. It had been three years since he'd seen or spoken to her. Why now? Regardless, she was proud of the way she'd handled him and smiled at the memory of his face when she told him off. He definitely hadn't been expecting it. He was used to walking all over her and aside from the divorce he'd always gotten his way. She supposed he thought he could do it again. She wasn't about to let that happen, but seeing him again brought up old memories and old feelings. She'd wasted a good chunk of her life on him and she couldn't stand to think about the years she'd never get back and person she used to be, but her thoughts went there anyway as folded clothes in the bedroom.

"You ok, Blondie?" James' voice came from the bedroom doorway. Juliet snapped out of her reverie and looked at him, surprised to see him awake. "You been foldin' that same shirt fer about two minutes now." He said before walking into the room.

She looked down. His old LAPD t-shirt was wadded up from her subconscious folding, unfolding, and refolding. She let it drop to the bed. "How do you feel?" She asked him, avoiding the subject. She knew she needed to tell him about her day, but she had no idea how he'd take it. He'd once offered to run Edmund over with a bus. She didn't think he'd be too happy to learn about her ex's visit.

"Hurts, but I'm ok." He said honestly.

She took his hand. "Come on." She said and led him towards the bathroom. "We gotta put some cream on your head."

He was tempted to stop and make her tell him what she was thinking. There was something about her that just seemed off, more so than when she was worried about him earlier. She wasn't looking him in the eye and she never answered his question, but he followed and obediently let her rub the antibiotic ointment around his stitches.

Juliet put the cap on the tube and looked at him. "I saw Ed today." The words came out before she'd fully decided if she was going to say them or not. She couldn't keep a secret from him and she knew she needed to talk about it.

James was flabbergasted. His mouth hung open slightly and his eyebrows scrunched together. "What?" He said, wondering if his blow to the head had been worse than the doctors thought.

"He was in my office when I got back from my meeting." She sighed. "He was there when this happened." She pointed to his head. "At least it gave me an easy way to get rid of him." She gave a slight chuckle hoping to lighten the mood.

James' face hardened. He _had_ heard her right. "What did he want?"

"He wants me to work for him." She said. "Well, really he just wants me to finish the research I did with Rachel." Tears started to form as she realized Edmund had tried to win her over at first with veiled insults and a little sweet talking, just like before. And she used to fall for it. Every time. She pushed past James needing out of the small confines of the bathroom.

He turned quickly and caught her arm. "You said no didn't you?" He couldn't help the edge that his voice had, the slight anger he knew she'd pick up on. He just couldn't stand the thought of that man near her.

"Of course I said no!" She barely managed to keep from yelling. She pulled away from him. "Do you really think I would do that to myself?" She asked. "To us?" The entirety of the day was weighing on her, from her boring meeting to Edmund to James' ordeal and for the second time that day she was unable to keep her tears at bay. They flowed slowly, streaking down her face, but this time she didn't bother with trying to stop them. "He was an ass today, just like he always was before. And I hate myself for letting him get away with it for so long that he'd think he could just walk in there today and pick up where he left off."

James closed the distance between them quickly and wrapped his arms around her. He was pissed at the man for suddenly reopening old wounds, but he pushed his anger to the side and held Juliet close. She didn't respond at first, overwhelmed with anger and embarrassment at letting Edmund get to her so fiercely after three years apart, but after a few seconds her arms unfolded from their place near her chest and snaked around James' midsection. "I love you." He said the first thing that came to mind. Eventually he pulled back enough to see her and used his thumbs to wipe away the remaining tears. "Did he hurt you?" He asked, his voice full of somber concern.

Juliet shook her head. She'd told him several times that Edmund never hit her, which was true, but James was never quite sure he believed her. "No." She said firmly. Her tears were gone and she felt better having gotten everything off her chest. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. She told him the rest of the story, everything that happened between finding him at her desk and sending him out the door. She got to the end and repeated the words she'd said to her ex-husband. "I said 'I want you out of my office and out of this hospital and I never want to see you again'."

He whistled. "That's my girl!" She laughed. "See, you're not the same Juliet you were with him." He said seriously. "You've changed. For the better. And he can't do anything anymore."

"I know." She said. "I just hate that I used to be such a doormat."

"Hey." His hands moved from her waist to cup her face. His eyes stared into hers. "It doesn't matter who you used to be. It made you who you are today." He reminded her. "A beautiful, strong, sexy woman with a nephew, a healthy sister, a job you love." His words elicited one of the largest smiles he'd ever seen on her. "And a damn fine boyfriend." He added with a smirk.

She laughed and smiled even wider before capturing his lips with hers. "I love you." She said against his mouth.

* * *

"Son of a bitch!"

Juliet sat up in bed. She wasn't sure what woke her up, but she knew it was loud. She looked around and realized James wasn't with her. A glance at the clock told her it was just after eight o'clock in the morning. "James?" She called questioningly.

She got mumbling from the bathroom as a reply, but thought she heard the words "in here". She found the door open and James staring at himself in the mirror. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"I look like a dumbass." He deadpanned.

"It's not that bad!" She countered.

He turned to face her fully and she noticed he'd tried to cut his hair, presumably to either hide the patch where his wound was or at least make it blend in. He'd only managed to make himself look completely ridiculous with his long hair on the right side and uneven locks on the left that fell somewhere between his ear and his chin. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, hoping they could somehow keep the laughter from coming out. "What did you do?" She asked, slight laughter coming out with each word.

"I was tryin' ta fix it." He said. He looked back in the mirror. "Now look at me." He waved his hands in frustration.

She stepped fully into the room and tried her best to kill the smile on her face as she examined him closer. She had him move his head this way and that, trying to find an angle that didn't look too bad and hopefully some advice on how to make it better. Finally, she gave up. "I can take you to the place I get my hair done. I'm sure someone there can do something."

"You actually think I'm goin' out in public like this?!" The pitch in his voice rose with each word as he considered the embarrassment.

Juliet couldn't hold it in any longer. She laughed and shrugged.

He glared at her. "Get outta here." He shooed her away. "I'm gonna fix it. Go make breakfast or somethin'." He turned his attention back to the mirror.

Two hours later he was sitting on a stool in the middle of Rachel's kitchen with a towel draped over his shoulders. "I'm not gonna end up lookin' like a three year old, am I?" He asked.

"If you don't shut up I'll cut it all off and you can be bald and look like you're seventy." Rachel waved the scissors in front of his face for emphasis, her voice much too serious for James' liking. His mouth snapped shut while Juliet tried to stifle a laugh from her position in the doorway.

After he'd completely butchered the other half of his hair Juliet had called her sister. Rachel had taken to cutting Julian's hair herself. Everything about the boy was growing like a weed and she got tired of taking him in for a hair cut every couple of weeks. Now, she circled James with a pair of scissors, clippers, and a comb.

Juliet was ready to watch the show, but a small voice called from the other end of the house. "Aunt Julie!" She gave James an encouraging smile before leaving him at the mercy of her sister. Fifteen minutes later she returned with Julian in tow just as Rachel was putting down her tools.

Rachel stood in front of James, blocking Juliet's view. "Well, Little Sis, you ready to see the new James?"

Juliet had no idea what he'd look like. She had a hard time picturing him without his trademark nearly shoulder length hair. She nodded.

Rachel stepped aside with little flourish. James looked up at Juliet with a hopeful, but nervous gaze. "She hasn't let me see it yet." He said.

Juliet stood and admired him for a few moments. The sides were short with his ears completely visible, a neatly trimmed side burn on each side framing them. The top was slightly longer and seemed to stick up slightly on its own in front still giving him somewhat of a 'bad boy' look. She grinned. "I love it." She said.

Before James could say anything or even move to get up and look at it himself Julian barreled towards him and clambered into his lap. James was taken by surprise, but helped him up with a smile. "I made you this." Julian exclaimed and shoved a folded piece of paper towards James' face.

'Get well soon' was written neatly on the cover, clearly by Juliet, but surrounded by multicolored doodles done by Julian. Inside was a messy, off centered, and slanted drawing done in multiple colors of crayon. James was pretty sure he could make out at least three people standing in grass with the sun shining above them. Large, wobbly letters spelled out 'Love Julian' across one side. "There's me." The boy pointed out excitedly. "And you and Aunt Julie and Mommy."

James grinned. "It's great, Bud!." Julian wrapped his arms around James as best he could. James squeezed him back and looked up at Juliet who thought her heart might explode at the sight in front of her. Since their trip to the zoo and talks about his childhood James had started feeling much more comfortable around children, especially Julian.

Julian pulled back abruptly. "Can I see it?" He asked, eyes wide.

James was confused at first, but then bent his head down so the boy could see his stitches.

"Whoa." Julian said, his pointer finger getting closer and closer to James' skin out of curiosity.

"Julian!" Rachel tried to stop him. "Don't touch! It might hurt."

James looked up and saw Julian's defeated expression. "It's ok." He said to Rachel. He looked to Julian. "You just have to be careful, ok?" Julian nodded. James bent his head down again and Julian ran his finger gingerly along the stitches.

"Did it hurt?" The boy asked.

James nodded. "Yeah, it did."

"Mommy said Aunt Julie wasn't coming home last night 'cause she had to take care of you."

"That's right." James said. "And she did a real good job at it, too." He looked to Juliet and grinned.

Rachel glanced at the clock. "Alright, Julian." She said. "We have to get ready to go or we'll be late getting to the park."

"I'm gonna go play with Gavin!" Julian told James excitedly as he hopped down to the floor.

"Sounds like fun." James encouraged, though he had no clue who Gavin was.

James and Juliet saw Julian and Rachel off before locking up and heading to the hospital to get his car. They spent the afternoon together and after making him promise to take it easy Juliet went home. She had dinner with her sister and nephew and spent the evening playing board games with Julian. She might have let him win more often than not, but she acted surprised every time his plastic pieces crossed the finish line first.

After Julian went to bed Juliet told Rachel about her run in with Edmund. The elder sister could've jumped for joy at hearing how Juliet handled him. She hugged her and told her how proud she was of her.

Juliet went to sleep that night thinking of James and wondering what the next day would hold.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait! Thank you to **Marla's Lost** for reviewing the last chapter!

I hope you enjoy and please read and review!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 15**

James balanced two cups of coffee and a muffin on a large stack of papers as he badged into the hospital's employee entrance near the security office. He took the back halls and hit the button for the elevator with an elbow.

It had been a little over a week since his head met with a fire extinguisher and the stitches were already gone. He had a small scar, but mostly he was just left with his shorter hairstyle to show for the incident. His days back at work had been calm and routine so far and he expected today to be more of the same. Juliet, however, was busier than ever and he hoped things would slow down before she ran herself ragged.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the second floor. He glanced down the obstetrics hallway, but saw no Juliet. He made his way for her office. When he'd called an hour ago she'd been a mess.

"Hello?" She'd answered distractedly.

"Hey there, Sunshine." He drawled.

"Hey." She said in acknowledgment, still distracted.

He could hear her moving around. "Everything ok?" He asked.

She took a deep breath. "No." She replied and dropped into her office chair. Her desk was a mess, littered with papers and folders. Drawers stood half open, their contents strewn about the floor around her. "I got up late. Julian hid my car keys. I have that meeting today with the hospital board and I can't find my presentation notes anywhere!" James eyed the stack of papers on his kitchen table and opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off talking a mile a minute. "I looked everywhere and Rachel swears she hasn't seen them. I know I took them home over the weekend, but I decided to look here anyway and I still can't find them."

"You mean the papers you brought over here the other night?" He asked.

"You have them?!" She was on the edge of her seat, suddenly remembering taking them from her office, to the house she shared with Rachel, to James' apartment.

He flipped through a couple pages. "Well I can tell ya nothin' with diagrams of reproductive organs on it around here is mine."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "When do you come in? Can you bring them with you?"

"Yeah, I go in at ten."

"Shit." Juliet said. "The meeting's at nine." She glanced at the time. Eight o'clock. She'd already wasted an hour tearing through her office. "Maybe I have time to reprint it."

"Gimme half an hour."

"You sure?"

"Yep. Thirty minutes."

She'd just gotten her desk cleaned up when he walked in. She smiled. "You're a life saver."

He set the stack down next to her keyboard. "Must be a long ass presentation." He commented.

She laughed. "There's handouts in there too so everyone can follow along."

He held up a coffee and the muffin.

"Are those for me?" She asked.

"Didn't sound like ya had time for breakfast."

Instead of taking the items from him she stood and wrapped her arms around his neck before bringing her lips to his. James' arms went awkwardly around her waist, still holding the cup of coffee and muffin. "I love you." She said with a smile.

"I love you too."

They talked as she ate quickly. She had a busy day ahead of her and couldn't guarantee she'd see him for lunch, and that was if everything went according to plan. Shortly before nine they parted ways as Juliet headed for her meeting and James went to the cafeteria to kill time before his shift.

As soon as James got to the security office he was sent to the emergency room. A psychiatric patient was being transferred to another hospital and her ride had just arrived. There was a car service that specialized in transporting patients that didn't require the use of an ambulance. James followed the driver, a short, large man with nearly no neck, into the ER. While he headed to the nurse's station for paperwork James went to the woman's room.

The woman was in her fifties and was about as wide as the bed she was lying in, her eyes glued to the television in the corner of the room.

"Yer ride's here. You ready to go?" James tried to sound cheerful.

She sat up a little and narrowed her eyes at him. "Where am I going?" She asked.

James had no idea, but luckily the driver chose that moment to enter the room. He gave her the name of the hospital.

"I'm not going." The woman said calmly and settled back into her bed.

James and the driver looked at each other. "The car's all ready and waitin' for ya. Let's get your stuff together." James chose to ignore her comment.

She glared at him. "I won't go to that place! I told them I wanted to go to Miami General!"

"They couldn't get you in there. They're full." James took a wild guess, but he knew at times it was difficult for doctors and nurses to find somewhere with the room for a new patient.

"Then I'll stay right here until a room opens up." She said, crossing her arms.

James could feel a headache coming on.

The woman's nurse entered the room with the necessary transfer paperwork. "Why don't you have your shoes on? I've got your paperwork. You're good to go."

"I'm not going!" She screamed.

"I already told you Miami General is full. You cannot go there." She set the paperwork down and pulled the woman's shoes from her bag of belongings.

"Then I'm not going anywhere!" She proceeded to tell them how Miami General has books she likes and better food. Also she'd been to the other place before and everyone there was evil. Meanwhile, the nurse got the woman's shoes on her without her noticing.

Their next attempt at coaxing her out of bed was met with more screaming and a declaration of "I know my rights!". Her doctor showed up and tried to explain things to her – she was being involuntarily admitted so she didn't have much choice. They found a place with an empty bed and that's where she was going.

It did no use. She was still adamant about waiting for a room in the other hospital to open up.

Even the driver tried to talk her into it. It had been a while since she'd been in the 'evil' hospital. He told her about how nice it was the last time he took someone there. She screamed at him and hunkered down in the bed, grabbing onto the railings as if her life depended on it. "I. Won't. Go." She said with finality.

Everyone was tired of arguing with her. Finally the doctor shrugged. "We'll just wheel her out there." He said and unlocked the wheels to the bed the woman was in.

James couldn't believe it. He spent half his time at work trying to get patients to stay in the hospital and this one wouldn't leave. He took hold of the bed railing along with the driver, nurse, and doctor. Then they pushed the whole bed through the ER and out into the ambulance bay, only stopping once they got to the car.

The woman spent the whole ride trying to talk her way out of it and was still going as the nurse helped her off the bed and into the car. The driver took her belongings and the necessary paperwork. Then they were off.

James pushed the bed back into the building still in disbelief at what had just happened. Luckily the rest of his shift was much more mundane.

He got a text from Juliet around lunch time. She wouldn't have time to meet him in the cafeteria. He was disappointed, but understood. He ate with Dan instead. When his shift ended at six he had two messages, one from Juliet regretfully informing him that one of her high risk patients had unexpectedly gone into labor and she'd have to be there until after the baby came. The other was from Miles asking if he was free.

James and Miles met at their favorite bar. They ate and drank and watched the football game on TV. Two beers in Miles leaned over the table conspiratorially. "Two girls. Two tables over. Checking us out."

James shrugged. "You can have 'em."

Miles eyes went wide. "You're not even gonna look?!" He asked incredulously.

"Nope." James replied and took a sip of his beer.

"You know how this works." Miles said animatedly. "You've got that bad boy whatever that attracts them from across the room. They come over with their friend to talk to us and at some point at least one of them realizes I'm the real catch and everyone's happy. It's been this way since the academy and I've come to rely on this method."

James almost laughed. "That ain't how you got Brooke and you know it. You do just fine on yer own, Enos."

"That's not the point." Miles said. "The point is I tell you we've got two good looking women whose eyes can't seem to leave our table and you don't even care to look?"

"Don't need to." James said, his thoughts on Juliet.

"You're serious?" Miles asked. James nodded. The Asian raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Juliet's got you trained well." He said.

James scowled. "You know it ain't like that." He said, inadvertently taking the bait his friend set out.

"And how is it?" Miles asked curiously. He'd never seen his friend like this before. Even when James was with Cassidy he saw no harm in checking out other women or flirting a little when he was out with the guys and at the time he'd claimed she was the one.

James was silent for a few moments. He and Miles were best friends and they shared a lot with each other, but feelings had never been at the top of the list of things to talk about. "I'm thinkin' of askin' Juliet to move in with me." He admitted. It was a big step and he wasn't entirely sure how she'd react. He just knew he was tired of not being able to hold her in his arms each and every night as he drifted off to sleep. He knew Miles liked Juliet, but he wasn't sure how the other man would react to his thoughts. He hoped Miles wouldn't think he was making a mistake.

Miles grinned. "That's great, Man. You guys are good together. I'm happy for you."

James smiled. "Thanks."

They ordered another round in celebration. It had been a while since they'd had a guys night. They talked for hours about anything and everything until James' cell phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and was surprised first by how late it was and then that it was work calling. He showed Miles the number and gave him a questioning glance. Miles shrugged.

"Hello?" James answered.

"James." He was surprised to hear Juliet's voice. She sounded exhausted. "Can you come pick me up?" She asked.

"I'll be right there." He hung up and headed back to the hospital.

He found Juliet in the security office with John. She wore scrubs and sat awkwardly in one of the rolling chairs, her purse and laptop bag on the floor beside her. Her hair was pulled back haphazardly and the look on her face gave him no indication as to what was going on. She gave a small smile when she saw him and moved to pick up her things.

"Everything ok?" He asked and took the laptop bag from her, throwing the strap over his shoulder.

She sighed. "Someone broke into my car." She said.

James' eyes went wide. "Are you ok? What happened"

She'd been parked in the far lot and didn't know anything was wrong until she was trying to leave for the night. Her window was broken and a tire slashed. She didn't keep much in the car, but her phone charger was gone and combined with her dead cell battery was why she'd called James from the office phone. John had already called the police for her and they'd taken her statement. Unfortunately, the only camera in the area had been broken for several weeks. It didn't look likely that they would find out who did it.

"I just want to go home and deal with it tomorrow." She said after finishing her story.

"Sure." He said and took her hand. He resisted the urge to remind her he always told her not to park so far away. At this time of night her car would be one of only a handful in the large parking lot. He was just thankful she hadn't run into whoever had been out there tonight. They thanked John and left the hospital.

"Must have been a fast delivery." James commented on the way to his car. "I thought you'd be stuck here all night." He smiled, hoping to show he was happy to see her unexpectedly, but she didn't smile back and he caught her pained expression before she could hide it. He squeezed her hand. "What happened?" He asked gently.

"It's a girl." She said. "But I don't know if she'll make it through the night." The pain and heartache was in her eyes, but there were no tears.

James released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders instead, holding her close as they walked the rest of the way to the car. Once they reached the passenger door he pulled her in for a proper hug. Her arms went easily around him and her head to his chest. He didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure he knew the words to comfort her. He placed a kiss on the top of her head and opted to just hold her instead of trying to come up with something profound to say.

After a few moments Juliet looked up at him. "Take me home?" She asked. He nodded and opened the door for her.

It wasn't until he was halfway in the driver's seat that James realized he wasn't entirely sure where she wanted to go. She'd previously referred to both her place with Rachel and his apartment as 'home' and he couldn't remember if she'd told him during the day where she intended to spend the night. He glanced at her in the passenger seat. She already had her seat belt on and head tilted back against the seat with her eyes closed. She'd had a very long day and he wasn't about to ask for clarification. He wanted to be there for her, to comfort her, and his place was closer. Besides, he knew she'd feel bad if she accidentally woke Rachel or Julian. He pointed the car in the direction of his apartment.

The next morning the shrill ringing of James' phone woke them. Juliet groaned and rolled away from both James and the offending piece of technology.

"'lo?" James answered groggily.

"Is Juliet with you?" It was Rachel. "I can't get a hold of her and I haven't heard from her since yesterday morning and -"

James was too tired to continue listening. "Jules." He said and held the phone out to her. "It's Rachel." He said when she glared at him.

Suddenly Juliet was wide awake. She took the phone wondering what could be wrong and headed into the living room to let James get more sleep when she discovered Rachel was just worried about her.

"I'm sorry, Rach. I should have called. It was a really long, really bad day. I was tired and my phone was dead." James could only hear Juliet's side of the conversation as he padded into the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

"Well what did he say?" Juliet asked. "Yeah, the window's broken and the tire's flat. Yes, James will help me. Text me the number and I'll call him."

James dug her cell phone out of her purse and plugged it in.

"Hi Buddy." She said next and settled into the couch. James smiled. He knew Julian could be long winded, but she always talked to him with such enthusiasm He started breakfast and listened as she "oohh'd" and "aahh'd" at whatever story her nephew was telling her. He was nearly done setting the table by the time she got off the phone.

"Everything alright?" He asked as he handed her a cup of coffee.

She took a sip of the warm liquid and nodded. "A cop stopped by the house this morning. He needed more info about the car. She freaked. I should have called her."

"It was a long day." He said. "I didn't think about calling her either."

"Sometimes I feel like I live with my mother." She chuckled, taking a seat at the table.

He sat next to her and was thinking quietly. He watched as she moved bacon, eggs, and toast to her plate before she looked at him curiously.

"Live here." He finally said. "With me."

She just looked at him.

"Move in with me." He said. He was hopeful and nervous and terrified, but tried not to show it.

"What?" She asked.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know this isn't the greatest place to end the chapter, but I promise I have a plan! Also, it's looking like this story will end up being about 20 chapters so we're getting there. As always, let me know what you think!


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note:** Big thanks to **aggie** and a **guest** (who's not really a guest) for your reviews!

 **Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Lost is not mine.

As always, please read and review! I love hearing everyone's thoughts!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 16**

"Was this really necessary?" Juliet asked as she kicked the deflated tire on her car.

James shrugged. "Probably payback fer not havin' anything in there worth stealin'." Juliet rolled her eyes and James admired the view as she bent over to reach in the car. She rummaged through the console and glove compartment, taking anything she might need while the car was in the shop.

Not two hours ago he'd asked her to move in with him and he was trying not to be upset or angry at the response he'd gotten. The shorts she'd chosen to wear were definitely helping as he tilted his head for a better view as if he didn't already know every inch of skin hiding underneath her clothes.

" _Move in with me_." He'd said.

A simple question of "what?" had been her response as she looked at him with a slight expression of disbelief.

Not exactly the reaction James was looking for. "I love you." He said and the smile he got in return made him feel better. He started talking, telling her about how he missed her when they weren't together, how he wanted to see her every day, come home to her each night, and wake up with her every morning. And she was always losing things because she couldn't remember if she'd left them at his apartment or the house so didn't it make sense anyway?

Finally she leaned over and silenced him with a kiss. When she pulled back he looked at her hopefully. "Is that a yes?" He asked, but his spirits immediately fell when he saw the look on her face.

Juliet's eyes threatened to fill with tears. He'd understand, wouldn't he? He had to. "Rachel." She said. "If she got sick again or if something happened and I wasn't there..." She trailed off.

James' first thought was _Rachel is fine_. But he remembered the stories Juliet told him about the times her sister was sick and the promise she made, that not even Rachel knew about, to a newborn Julian that she would do everything she could to make sure his momma was healthy and could be there for him.

His eyes softened as he looked at her. "C'mere". He said and took her hand in his before pulling her close and wrapping her in a hug.

Juliet released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. After a moment she pulled back and locked eyes with him. "I love you." She said with as much conviction as she possibly could. He nodded almost imperceptibly. He believed her. "And I want those things, too." She continued, referring to his arguments on why they should live together. "But I promised Rachel I would be there for her."

"I know." He said. "It's ok. I understand, but think about it, ok?" She nodded and went willingly back into his embrace, burying her face in his neck and holding on like he could slip away.

Now he was back in the hospital's parking lot standing in the blazing Miami sun wondering how he could go about getting her to wear those shorts more often. But soon she had what she needed and she closed the car door with a sigh. "Ready?" She asked.

James nodded. He was taking her to get a rental car and then he had to get ready for work, but his mind was still on their conversation earlier. He wanted to remind her that Rachel was healthy now. She was even working again while Julian was in daycare. He wanted to tell her that it was ok for her to do things just because they'd make her happy; she didn't need to do everything for other people. But he couldn't make the words come out. She'd made a career out of helping others and giving them happiness. And if she could do all that for strangers of course she'd want to do even more for her sister and nephew, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness.

Besides wouldn't it be a little selfish of him to convince her to do something he wanted? He knew she wanted it too, he could see it in her eyes, but would she hate him if she moved and something _did_ happen to Rachel? He couldn't take that chance. He wouldn't. He just had to hope she'd change her mind and though he understood her reasoning and would respect her wishes he was still disappointed.

They parted ways after she signed the paperwork for the rental car. "Will I see you later?" Juliet asked.

James shrugged. "I'll be working late." He had to cover for one of the guys and knew she'd likely be in bed by the time he got off. He tried to give her at least somewhat of a smile to say 'no big deal', but he wasn't sure it worked. This was exactly the kind of situation he was hoping to remedy by living together. Their less than normal work schedules often got in the way.

"You can still call me." She offered. He nodded. She kissed him. "I love you." She said.

That statement coming from her never failed to make him smile. "I love you, too." He told her.

* * *

It took two stories and an impromptu lullaby, but Rachel was finally able to get Julian to sleep. She closed the bedroom door carefully and silently made her way down the hall. She found her sister with her head in the refrigerator. "Can I help you?" Rachel asked, amused.

Juliet turned around and held up a single bottle of beer. "Is this all we have?"

"I think there's some wine around here somewhere."

"Perfect!" Juliet said. "I'll get the glasses out."

Rachel eyed her sister curiously before searching for the bottle. "Ok, what's going on?" She asked while pouring two glasses. She decided her younger sister looked a little too excited to get her hands on some alcohol.

"Nothing." Juliet replied innocently. "Why?"

"Oh, I don't know." Rachel started. "Maybe because the last time you looked this happy about cheap wine was when you were going through your divorce."

Juliet frowned. "My car was broken into and I spent all day today talking to the police and the insurance company. Am I not allowed to unwind a little?" She led Rachel to the living room and settled herself on the overstuffed couch cradling her glass in both hands. What she said was true, but she was also worried that she'd done irreparable damage to her relationship with James. He said he understood and believed her when she said she wanted the same things he did, but he wasn't quite himself by the time they parted. She couldn't bear to lose him, but she couldn't reconcile her desire to be with him and fully commit to him with the primal need she felt to be there for her sister and nephew.

"Sure, you can unwind." Rachel said. "But I know you and you're looking for more than that right now so what happened?"

Juliet sighed and looked away from her sister. Sometimes the bond they had did not work in her favor. She did _not_ plan on talking to Rachel about this tonight. She wasn't even sure yet if she _ever_ wanted to talk to her about it. She knew the elder sister wouldn't understand. She finally looked back at Rachel who was still staring at her expectantly. "James asked me to move in with him this morning." She told her.

Rachel's eyes narrowed. "And you're sitting here drinking instead of packing because...?"

"Because I said 'no'." She replied quietly.

Rachel's eyes went wide. "You what?! Why?!"

"Because I want to be here for you and Julian." She said. "Because I promised I'd be here for you and what if you get sick again?"

"No." Rachel interrupted. "You moved in here the last time I got sick so you could help with Julian and because you'd just left your husband. This was never supposed to permanent." She said.

"But."

"No buts, Juliet." Rachel was on a roll. She refused to let her little sister deny herself something she knew she wanted. "I know you're scared I'll get sick again, but I'm fine. The cancer is gone. It's been years and at this point the doctor said it would be unlikely for it to come back now. You know this."

Juliet nodded and Rachel could see the tears in her eyes.

"You've put your life on hold for us long enough. I'm back to work and Julian will start school soon." Rachel took Juliet's hand in hers. "We love you, Jules, and we will always want you in our lives, but we don't _need_ you anymore. You don't have to take care of us anymore." Rachel was also near tears by the end of her speech. "You understand?" She asked Juliet, who nodded and pulled her big sister in for a tear-filled hug, wine glasses forgotten on the coffee table.

* * *

"And so she said 'All men are the same. All they want is to eat, have sex, and fight' and you know what I said?"

James looked at his boss with what he hoped was a thoroughly interested expression. "What?"

"I said 'Not all of us are the same...I don't like to fight.'". Dan cackled at his own joke.

James laughed along as best he could. He'd been listening to the other man go on and on about his latest conquests for over an hour now.

"Oh! It's already time to finish locking up." Dan said. "You want the honors?"

"Sure." James said and took the the set of keys offered to him. Only a few more hours to go. He told himself. He took his time walking around the hospital. He checked office doors and conference rooms, making sure they were locked. He found a stray wheelchair in the hallway and returned it to its proper place.

James checked his watch. Even walking slowly the lock up didn't take him as long as he would have liked. He decided to walk some more before returning to the office and to Dan. He wasn't in the mood for the man's lengthy stories and sexist comments. Miles had let it slip that he was planning on asking Juliet to move in. Dan had promptly clapped James on the back and congratulated him before saying "Man, I hope you're ready! She's gonna wanna know where you're at and what you're doin' _all_ the time. You'll never get away with anything ever again!" James just nodded and laughed with him, silently cursing Miles. He'd gone into work hoping to take his mind off of things and the younger man ruined that plan immediately.

He walked for another hour and eventually ended up on the roof where he'd first asked Juliet out. It felt like yesterday and he smiled thinking about their first date. He pulled out his cell phone, but found no messages from Juliet. In her absence he couldn't help but second guess everything. What if she didn't feel the same way and was just using Rachel as an excuse? No, she wouldn't lie about that. Right? Would she feel better if they got a place closer to Rachel? Maybe she didn't like his apartment. He should tell her they could go somewhere else. Would she ever change her mind? He wasn't sure, but he was certain if she did it would take a long while. Different questions came and went as he walked and walked. Eventually he ran out of hospital to walk through, but that was ok. His shift was almost over.

James clocked out and dialed Juliet on the way to his car. No answer. He looked down at his phone as if it had betrayed him. She'd said to call. He sighed. She must have fallen asleep.

The dark, empty streets were only a reminder of the dark, empty apartment he was headed to. By the time he reached his building his mood had gone from bad to worse. He spent the walk to his door silently cursing his idea to ask Juliet to move in. Things were going great for the two of them, but now he just felt like shit. He wondered how many beers were left in the fridge. One six pack? Two? Hopefully two. He made it to his door and dug out his key only to find the door was already unlocked. Great. He thought. Just what his day needed, a nice burglary to top things off.

But the lights were on. Burglars didn't leave lights on did they? Maybe the stupid ones. As he stepped inside his brows furrowed and his head tilted as he strained to listen. Was that music coming from somewhere in the apartment? He followed the sound towards the bedroom and found Juliet, not a thief. Her back was to James. She was quietly singing along to the radio as she hung security uniforms in the closet. "Jules?" He asked.

She turned quickly, surprised she didn't hear him come in. "Hey." She said and smiled. "I didn't know what to do with myself while I waited for you so I did your laundry." Her smile faltered when she noticed his sour mood. "I, uh, hope that's ok." She added as she hung the last shirt in the closet.

He nodded and chuckled a little. "That's somethin' yer welcome to do any time." He gave her a small smile, but wondered what the hell she was doing there. He just wanted to drink and forget about his lousy day and she was standing in the way of his plan. He raked a hand through his hair. "What are you doin' here, Jules?" He asked.

She looked nervous. "I made a mistake this morning." She said earnestly. "I'm sorry I was so quick to give the answer I did. I did a lot of thinking this afternoon. I want to be here. With you. If the offer still stands." She looked at him expectantly and he suddenly noticed the suitcase on the bed. She caught him looking at it. "Rachel insisted I go ahead and bring some things, but I didn't want to unpack until I knew for sure."

James was stunned and was momentarily at a loss for words. His eyes bounced between the suitcase and the woman in front of him. "You want to live here?" He asked, idly wondering if he was dreaming. The last thing he expected was that she would change her mind so quickly.

Juliet nodded. "If you'll have me." She knew her presence tonight would be a surprise, but she hoped it would be a good surprise. She found she couldn't wait to talk to him, to change her answer. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

A smirk appeared on James' face. "That depends." He said.

"On?" She asked.

"You gonna keep doin' my laundry?" He gave her a full dimpled smile.

She laughed. "I think we can work something out."

They closed the distance between each other like opposing magnets being drawn towards their other half. He kissed her as her arms went easily around him. "What made you change your mind?" He asked breathlessly when they came up for air.

"I didn't change my mind." She stated simply. "I always wanted this. I just had to realize that it was ok to want this. And that it's ok to do it. I can't hover over my sister forever."

"She's ok with this right?" He never wanted to come between the two siblings.

Juliet cocked her head in the direction of her suitcase. "She packed that thing for me." They both laughed.

Over the next few days they moved the rest of Juliet's things and went shopping. By the time they were done James decided his apartment looked more like home than any place he'd ever lived before. Frames hung on the walls, some of Juliet with her family and others of artsy things Juliet insisted they needed to 'liven up' the place. They had to get another bookshelf to accommodate the addition of her book collection. James could see pieces of Juliet in every room. She was the fancy throw pillows on the couch, the medical books arranged neatly in the spare room, and the pink razor on the side of the tub.

The first night he came home after another late shift he found her asleep on the couch, a paperback still clutched in one hand. She'd told him she planned to wait up for him. Clearly, she didn't quite make it. He smiled and took the book from her hand, intending to take her to bed, but she stirred. She smiled sleepily. "Welcome home." She said before yawning.

"Hey, Sleepin' Beauty." He said, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait. October was absolutely awful and I wasn't able to write much at all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Just a few more left!

Big thanks to **Marla's Lost** for reviewing chapter 16!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

As always, please read and review!

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 17**

"Julian, you have to eat before you can go play." Juliet reminded her nephew. The boy finally managed to pry his eyes away from the brightly colored tunnels and slides. He sat down and watched as his aunt arranged his food neatly in front of him on his own plastic tray.

"Where's my toy?" The nearly four year old asked before Juliet could sit down. She had hoped he'd forget about it until after he ate. Of course there was no chance of that. She pulled a small green plastic dinosaur out of the Happy Meal bag and gave it to him. Julian examined it as he started eating his hamburger.

Juliet sat and looked at her food, not exactly what she'd had in mind for lunch today, but she should have known where they'd end up when she asked Julian to choose a restaurant. From across the table James silently laughed at the look on her face. He knew she'd wanted to go somewhere that didn't offer a dollar menu.

Rachel had shopping plans with a friend so Juliet volunteered herself and James as babysitters. She loved living with James, but she found she missed seeing Julian all the time. They picked him up with promises of a lunch of his choosing and the opportunity to see where Aunt Juliet lived now. When asked where he wanted to eat the boy had immediately replied excitedly "McDonald's!". Juliet kept her smile in place, but James could see behind the facade. He laughed and shrugged and later whispered into her ear "At least the kid's cheap." Juliet shook her head at him and smiled.

Julian chattered while they ate. He told them about preschool and his friends and asked more questions than James could count. Julian finished his burger and was now alternating between eating the rest of his french fries and crushing them with the large feet of his new dinosaur. He stopped suddenly. "Aunt Julie?" He asked, looking thoughtful.

James grinned and sipped from his straw. The boy had already asked why the restaurant was called 'McDonald's' instead of something else, where burgers came from, and how fries are made. James was looking forward to hearing Juliet's answer to yet another impossible question.

Juliet looked to her nephew and once he was sure he had her attention he continued. "Is James my uncle?"

Juliet struggled to keep a straight face as the man in question nearly sucked his straw down his throat. "Why do you ask, Buddy?"

"Well," Julian explained. "Gavin has an aunt _and_ an uncle. They live together and love each other." He paused and looked between the two adults. "You live with James now, right?"

Juliet nodded. "Yep. You're going to see where we live when we're done here, remember?"

"And you love him?" He asked.

She nodded again and smiled, glancing at James as she answered. "Yes, I love him."

Julian's big brown eyes turned to James. "And you love her?"

"Sure do." His head was spinning with the sudden turn of conversation, but this question was easy to answer. He returned Juliet's smile.

Julian turned back to Juliet. "Then he's my uncle, right?"

She looked to James. They hadn't talked about this, hadn't even thought of it. Was this ok?

He gave a slight nod. _Yes_ , this was ok.

"Would you like him to be your uncle?" Juliet asked.

Julian nodded wildly.

"Good." James said. "'Cause you got yerself an' uncle and yer stuck with me now." He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair. The thought of having a title like Uncle, to be someone important to a kid, scared him, but Julian was so excited. And he found that, just like his aunt, he'd come to love the boy and wanted to make him happy.

It wasn't long before Julian went to play. They watched as he scrambled up and around and through the tunnels only to slide down and do it again. Juliet looked over at James. "Thank you." She said. "You didn't have to do that."

He gave her a full dimpled grin. "Well, I love you and we live together." He said. "Can't argue with that."

Juliet laughed. At times she was amazed by the things her nephew could come up with and this was one of them. She took James' hand in her own. "He loves you, you know?"

James nodded. He thought of his own uncles, Uncle Doug in particular. When his parents died Doug and his wife took James in. James tried rebelling, but Doug would have none of it. He set James' example of what a man should be and taught him how to channel his anger without seeking revenge. James wasn't sure where he'd have ended up if it weren't for Doug. He'd likely be in prison. He didn't think he could ever be as good as Uncle Doug, but he decided for Julian he would try. He just hoped he would never be like his father.

Juliet could see the wheels turning in James' head. She knew where his mind would go, where it always went when he thought too hard about his relationship with Julian or the possibility of becoming a father himself. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed the knuckles there. He responded by cupping her cheek in his palm and caressing the side of her face. She stilled his hand with her own. "You're not your father." She reminded him softly. "You're as good for him as he is for you." She tilted her head slightly in Julian's direction.

James didn't know how she did it, how she could always tell what he was thinking. Sometimes it annoyed him and he always found it somewhat scary, but he loved her for it every time she was able to make him feel better without him having to say a word. He leaned over the table and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

They left McDonald's soon after and James allowed Julian to press every button in the apartment building's elevator before Juliet could say anything. Both boys grinned as the doors opened at every floor. Juliet tried to avoid eye contact with the residents on those floors who looked thoroughly confused when the doors opened and no one got off.

"Alright, Bud. This is us." James held the doors open as Julian jumped over the gap between the elevator floor and the hallway.

Inside the apartment Julian had to inspect every room. "That's me and Mommy." He pointed to a picture in the living room. Juliet nodded and continued following him during his exploration.

He liked the TV. It was bigger than the one he had at home. He didn't have much to say about the kitchen, though he was disappointed in the lack of cookies. Down the hall he came to the bathroom first and, much to Juliet's relief, decided he wouldn't spend much time there. Next was the spare bedroom. "Whose room is this?" He asked.

"This is where you'll sleep if you stay here some time."

Julian climbed up onto the bed, bounced a couple times and then laid down with his arms and legs outstretched. He looked around some more from his position on the bed before sitting up and announcing "I like it."

Juliet grinned and tried not to laugh. "Good." She said.

Next he opened a door that only revealed the hidden washer and dryer. It surprised him, but he didn't linger. Finally, he reached the end of the hall and the last room, the master bedroom with attached bathroom. "Gotta try this one, too." He said as he climbed onto the bed. Juliet wondered why she'd bothered to make the bed that morning.

"Whose room is this?" Julian asked as he looked around.

"Mine and James'." She said not expecting the look of shock that appeared on the boy's face.

" _Both_ of you sleep in here?" He asked obviously confused.

Juliet suddenly realized that all he'd ever known was living with herself and Rachel. He didn't have two parents who shared a room and a bed. She was sure he'd seen couples on TV, but it had never been a part of his life. In the world he knew everyone had their own bed in their own room with the exception of some kids he knew who shared a room with a sibling. Juliet also realized there was no way she was explaining the bird and the bees to her nephew, especially at his age. Then she got an idea.

"Yeah." She replied. "That's what aunts and uncles do, they share things."

Julian thought about this. It was new, but he'd never had an aunt _and_ an uncle before. He could see some of Juliet's clothes mixed in with James' in the closet and high heels were next to work boots on the floor. He could see into the bathroom where Juliet's purple blow dryer sat on the sink next to James' electric razor. "You guys are really good at sharing." He told his aunt.

Juliet laughed. "I guess we are."

"I could never be an aunt or an uncle." He said as he slid down from the bed thinking about how awful it would be if he had to share his room and all his toys with someone else.

Juliet held in her laughter as she followed him back to the living room. He may not have the exact definitions of aunt and uncle down, but at least the conversation had been painless. She was beyond thankful that he'd decided today to ask about the uncle thing.

James was on the couch. He looked up when he heard them coming. "Well, what do ya think?" He asked Julian.

Julian nodded his approval. "I like it here." He said.

"Good." James said. "Do you wanna watch TV?" He pointed towards the television with the remote. The boy nodded again and sat next to James with Juliet taking a seat on the other side of her nephew. They found Toy Story playing on the Disney channel which happened to be Julian's favorite movie. He was thrilled to find it and then appalled to learn his Uncle James had never seen it. He instructed both adults to be quiet so they could watch. Juliet and James shared a smile from opposite ends of the couch before settling in to watch the movie.

Halfway through the movie there was a knock at the door. Juliet looked at the time. "It's a little early, but could be Rachel." James nodded his agreement as Juliet left the couch to get the door.

She opened the door and came face to face with a woman she didn't recognize. The smile Juliet had on for her sister slowly faded away as she looked at the stranger. She had short dark hair and dark eyes that, like Juliet's blue ones, were looking at the woman in front of her with confusion. "Can I help you?" Juliet finally asked.

"I'm looking for Jim Ford." The woman said. "I was told he lives here."

Juliet's smile disappeared completely as she called over her shoulder. "James?" Who was this woman and what did she want? And why did she suddenly seem to be appraising her, looking the blonde up and down?

James was behind Juliet quickly. "Cass?" He asked incredulously as Juliet nearly forgot how to breathe.

"Surprised?" Cassidy deadpanned. "You can be very difficult to get a hold of when you want to be."

Juliet just stood there staring at Cassidy until James wrapped a protective arm around her waist. She looked up at him only to find he was still staring straight ahead, shooting daggers with his eyes in Cassidy's direction, while at the same time letting her know that if she'd come hoping for a reconciliation she'd better go ahead and leave.

James opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Julian calling from the couch. "Uncle James!" He said. "You're gonna miss the best part!"

Cassidy quirked a brow. Juliet slid out of James' grasp and back into the apartment. James didn't like the accusatory look that passed over his ex's face. "What are you doin' here?" He asked gruffly.

"We need to talk." She stated simply.

"I ain't got nothin' to say."

"Then you'll listen." Her voice was steady and firm.

Meanwhile, Juliet was attempting to gather her nephew. "Time to go, Buddy." She told him.

"Is Mommy here?" His eyes were still glued to the television.

"Nope. Change of plans. I'm taking you home now." Juliet said as she searched for her car keys.

"But the movie's not over!" He protested.

"We'll finish it later." She tried to stay as calm as possible. The last thing she needed was for him to throw a fit. She didn't know why Cassidy was here or what she wanted, but Juliet was pretty sure Julian didn't need to be around for it.

"But I don't want to go home yet." He said firmly and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Juliet panicked. She needed to leave as quickly as possible and with the least amount of arguing from Julian. "We're getting ice cream on the way home!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Julian's eyebrows shot up immediately. "Really?" He asked, arms uncrossing.

Juliet nodded. "Yep. We're going to get ice cream and then go home." _And then your mother will kill me._ She thought. Ice cream was generally reserved for special occasions only. Otherwise the boy would want it every day. But Juliet was desperate.

She found her keys, grabbed her purse, and took Julian's hand. "Ready?" She asked him.

He nodded enthusiastically, having forgotten about the movie as soon as dessert was mentioned.

"Let's go." She led Julian to the door and gently pushed him past James and into the hallway. The boy ignored Cassidy who stood there glaring at James.

Juliet tried to squeeze past James, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Wait." He said. "Where are you going?"

She glanced at Cassidy. "Just call me later, ok?" She pulled away from him quickly not wanting to spend any more time than what was necessary around her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend.

"Jules!" He called after her, but she didn't stop. Now he was really mad. "What do you want?" He asked Cassidy, his jaw set in a hard line and his eyes narrowed.

"This is cute." She said, some of her anger spilling out as she motioned towards Juliet and Julian who were heading down the hall. "You disappear to come play house with some strange woman and play "Uncle" to her kid." She used her fingers to provide the quotation marks around 'uncle' insinuating he was anything but.

"He's her nephew." James growled unsure as to why he felt the need to defend himself against this woman.

"Sure. Nephew." Cassidy conceded though she didn't look or sound as though she really believed it.

"You need to leave, Cass." James said. "I ain't got nothin' to say to you an' I don't wanna hear anythin' you have to say either."

Cassidy held out a picture he hadn't realized she'd been holding. "You have a daughter." She said.

Juliet and Julian were waiting for the elevator. The doors opened as the word 'daughter' floated down the hall. Juliet's breath hitched and she nearly froze in place, but Julian pulled her along. She let her eyes close for a moment forcing herself to remember that she knew nothing for sure. It could all just be a ploy to try to get James back. Or he could have a daughter.

The elevator opened. Julian had resisted the urge to press multiple buttons, his desire for ice cream winning out. He led Juliet to the car as fast as his little legs would carry him. She got him buckled in before taking her place in the driver's seat. She took a few deep breaths and willed all thoughts of what was going on upstairs out of her mind before taking her nephew for ice cream.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** Again, I'm so sorry this has taken so long! The last few months of 2018 were a mess that spilled into the beginning of this year. Some things are starting to look up though and as long as life doesn't throw anything else my way in the near future it shouldn't be too long until the next chapter is up!

Big thanks to two **Guests** , **aggie** , and **Marla's Lost** for recent reviews! You guys are the best!

 **Disclaimer:** Lost is not mine.

 **Code Silver**

 **Chapter 18**

"You have a daughter." Cassidy said holding out the picture.

James crossed his arms over his chest and avoided looking at the photo. "And how do you know it's mine?" He asked knowing it was a low blow, but also hoping with everything he had that what she said wasn't true.

Cassidy rolled her eyes. _Typical_. She thought. But she was still getting angry. "Just look at her." She demanded and shook the photo at him for emphasis.

James didn't want to look, but he found his eyes trailing downwards from his ex-girlfriend's face and landing on the picture in her hand. His eyes finally met those of a baby girl and he uncrossed his arms to take the picture for closer examination.

Cassidy spoke as he inspected the image, but he wasn't fully paying attention. "It was either you or Craig." She said encouraged by the softening of his features and his taking of the photograph. "And, well, look at her." She chuckled nervously.

 _She was right_. James thought. The child in the picture was unmistakably his daughter. She had his dimples and what little hair she had was the same sandy blond color of his own mixed with her mother's subtle curls. She looked nothing like his ex-partner Craig. James was stunned into silence for a few moments, unsure what to do or say. "What's her name?" He finally asked.

"Clementine." Cassidy replied. "Clem for short."

He tried not to cringe. Clem was fine, but Clementine? Where the hell did she come up with that one?

"She's six months old." Cassidy continued. "That was taken a few weeks ago. I tried to call when I first found out, but you never answered. Then you left."

James just nodded. He wouldn't apologize for not answering the phone or for leaving. _She_ was the one who cheated. "Why tell me at all?" He asked.

She sighed. "I thought you ought to know. I thought you should at least get the chance to be her father."

"You know we ain't gettin' back together, right?" He asked. "This don't change what happened."

Cassidy nodded. "That's not why I'm here." She said. "We're staying with a friend and we'll be here a week. You need to decide if you want to be a part of her life or not." Her eyes turned steely. "But it's all or nothing, Jim. You're either her father or you're not. I won't have you coming in and out of her life as you please." He nodded. "My number's on the back." She said, referring to the picture. "Let me know what you decide."

Then she was gone and he was left standing in his doorway alone. He listened to the elevator doors open and close before going inside the apartment. Julian's movie was still playing, but James didn't even notice. He collapsed on the couch and again looked at the picture of his daughter. _His daughter._ He wasn't sure that would ever truly sink in. He turned over the photo and sure enough there was a phone number scrawled in a handwriting he'd almost forgotten.

A part of him wanted to forget it ever happened, to go on with his life and pretend Cassidy had never found him. A few years ago he might have been able to do that, but not anymore. He knew he couldn't deny his child even though nothing scared him more. He was slowly learning how to be an uncle and struggled with it more often than he'd like to admit. How could he ever be someone's father?

Juliet once told him he'd make a good dad. He didn't see it, but doubted she would lie about something so serious. _Juliet._ What did this mean for them? Would she leave him? Would he be less desirable now that he was forever stuck with his ex in his life? And Cassidy – what did she expect of him as a father? Was he supposed to move back to LA? He couldn't do that, not now, not unless Juliet went with him. Was that a possibility?

He rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. Just when he thought he was beginning to get life figured out it threw him a curve-ball. He loved Juliet, that he was absolutely sure of. And he was also sure he couldn't ignore the fact that he'd helped create another human being whether or not it was something he intended to do. Was there any way to have both Juliet and his daughter in his life?

He sat there a while longer imagining the different ways things could play out.

"What did she want?" His imaginary Juliet asked when she got home. She wasn't happy. Once he told her about Cassidy's visit she spent the better part of a half hour berating him on how he could let such a thing happen before storming angrily out the door.

The next scenario started with the same question from a much gentler Juliet and ended with the two of them meeting his daughter together. Cassidy was merely a silent figure in the background.

There was a brief image of the two women wrestling over who would get to have James in their life, but he knew the chances of that actually happening were less than zero.

James' mind then went to what it would be like to have a long distance relationship with Juliet. Spending so much time apart sounded awful, but the idea of calling her up late at night to ask what she was wearing followed by a discussion on what they'd do if they were together sounded very nice. He made a mental note to ask if they could do that without living across the country from each other.

He reeled his dirty mind back in and wondered if having a long distance relationship with their father could be good enough for a kid. He supposed it would surely be better than not having one at all, but would Clementine grow to resent him for his choices if he decided to stay in Miami with Juliet and Miles while his daughter was on the other side of the country?

Possible futures and different scenarios eventually gave way to other thoughts like what would he have named the baby if given a chance. Certainly not Clementine. He hoped she wouldn't get bullied in grade school for the name, though he could see a kid, not unlike himself at that age, making fun of her and coming up with orange related nicknames. No, his choice in names would be more traditional, but not too common. He grew up knowing at least three other kids named James in his school. And maybe Juliet would let the middle name be Mary after his mother if they had a girl.

 _Wait. What?_ James shook his head and groaned before leaning back and staring at the ceiling. He didn't even know if he and Juliet would be together this time next week. He should _not_ be thinking of names for their potential future children. Besides, a couple hours ago he wasn't sure he even _wanted_ children. Now, all of the sudden, he's got one and his brain has already moved onto planning the next.

He needed to see Juliet. He needed to talk to her and he needed to know everything was going to be ok. He set the photo down and traded it for his cell phone. The phone's display told him it had been nearly an hour since Juliet left. _Shit_. He'd only talked to Cass for maybe fifteen minutes, but Juliet wouldn't know that. He hoped she wasn't thinking the worst because it was taking him so long to call. He just needed the time to wrap his mind around the whole thing.

He dialed Juliet and held the phone to his ear. It rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. "Hey, it's me." He said after the beep and then realized he didn't know what else to say. "Um...I was just wondering when you were comin' home." He said after a pause. "I love you." He added and hung up.

He hoped she didn't intentionally miss the call and wondered if she was angry with him because Cass showed up. She didn't seem mad when she left with Julian, but he knew she could cover her emotions well if she wanted.

Juliet should know Cassidy was no competition for her, no one was. They'd had the Cassidy conversation and he thought that was settled. But then he realized Juliet had also believed her jerk of an ex-husband when he said she was the only one. Could she be thinking he was going to be Edmund all over again? James groaned in frustration and stared at his phone, willing it to ring. He ended up pacing the apartment until he heard the door open half an hour later.

* * *

 _Daughter_. James has a daughter. _Could!_ James _could_ have a daughter. Juliet couldn't stop thinking about it. Logically she knew there was a chance it wasn't true. Cassidy had been known to lie on occasion, but why lie about something like this? James wasn't rich and Cassidy had been the one to cheat on him. Juliet had a feeling she was telling the truth. James has a daughter out there. But what did that mean for them? For her?

"Aunt Juliet." Julian's yell was finally able to get Juliet's attention. She'd been sitting at a picnic table outside an ice cream shoppe lost in thought and staring at nothing while her nephew devoured a chocolate cone much too big for him. Julian held his hands up so she could see them. "Sticky." He complained. There was chocolate ice cream in varying stages of dryness all over his hands and face. The torn corner of a cheap napkin clung to his right thumb.

Juliet's eyes went wide. The last time she looked he hadn't been anywhere near finishing, but now the entire cone appeared to be gone. "Come on." She said and led him to the bathroom where she helped him clean his face and hands.

Halfway through the cleaning process Juliet's phone rang and Rachel was not happy to hear her plans had been changed. She was finished with her errands was ready to pick up Julian.

"So your nephew gets to see your new place, but your sister doesn't?" Rachel asked after Juliet told her she was out with Julian and there was no need to pick him up because she could take him home.

"You've seen it, Rach." Juliet rolled her eyes.

"You didn't have everything done when I was there." Rachel protested. "There were still boxes in the living room and you hadn't put up the new bookcase yet. Are there still boxes in the living room? Is the bookcase put together?"

Juliet sighed. "No and yes."

"Exactly." The elder sister pointed out. "I have yet to see my baby sister's new home in its finished state and I was looking forward to doing that today. Can't we meet there instead? What are you guys doing anyway? And where's James?"

The questions came faster than Juliet could think and Julian was now creating a bigger mess playing with the water coming from the sink's faucet. "No, we can't and we decided to get a snack." Juliet idly answered her sister's questions, hoping Rachel wouldn't notice she failed to answer the one about James.

"James didn't want a snack?"

No such luck. Her sister didn't miss a thing, especially not when she was looking for answers. She hadn't wanted to tell Rachel about Cassidy's visit until after talking to James and getting all the facts, but she knew Rachel would poke and prod until she was satisfied with the information she was given and really, there was no point in lying. She would tell her eventually anyway. "Remember his ex I told you about? Cassidy?" She ushered Julian out of the bathroom and to the car.

"Yeah." The word was drawn out. Rachel didn't know where this topic was leading, but she had a feeling she wasn't going to like it.

"She showed up." Juliet said as she settled Julian in the backseat.

"She what?!" Rachel screeched.

Juliet pulled the phone from her ear for a few moments of silence as she took her place in the driver's seat. Then she took a deep breath and continued her conversation. "She knocked on the door. I thought it might be you so I answered. I don't know if she's still there. Now, can we please go home and talk about it there?"

"I'm turning around now." Rachel hung up.

Juliet looked at Julian through the rear view mirror. He'd settled down once getting to the car and she was grateful. "Ready to go home, Bud?" She asked. He glanced in her direction and nodded. He was too entranced by the cars and people going past his window to be bothered with anything else.

Juliet started the car and headed for Rachel's. Julian was a chatterbox on the way to the ice cream shoppe. Now his silence was a welcome reprieve. Her thoughts were loud enough. Should she tell Rachel what she heard as she and Julian got on the elevator? Probably not. Not yet. Not before she talked to James.

 _James_. The part of her scarred by Edmund wondered if this would make him want to go back to Cassidy, to be a family for the baby and leave Juliet brokenhearted once again. Just thinking about the possibility churned her stomach. _No_. She knew James. He wouldn't do that. But she also knew he wouldn't reject his child even though he didn't particularly like its mother anymore. And last she knew Cassidy still lived in L.A. Would James want to move back? Would he ask her to go with him? Would she go if he did? Could she go with him? Once more glance in the rear view mirror answered that question. She knew she could never live so far away from Rachel and Julian. She just recently decided she could live apart from them at all; across the country was a little too much.

Throughout the rest of the ride to Rachel's, Juliet's brain continued to bounce around between her sister and James. How much should she tell Rachel? What did James think about all this? Was he still will Cass?

Finally, she reached her sister's driveway. Rachel had barely beaten them there and was just getting out of her car. Juliet's mind began to slow and focus. Julian ran to his mother excitedly and proudly showed off his dinosaur toy from McDonald's. Rachel was satisfactorily in awe over it and Julian let her lead him inside with Juliet following.

"Spill." Rachel said to her sister once Julian was settled on the couch finishing Toy Story.

Juliet explained what happened earlier as Rachel listened intently. When she finished she looked at her sister expectantly.

"So you're telling me" Rachel started calmly. "that your boyfriend's ex shows up unannounced out of nowhere and you just walked away leaving them alone?! In your own home?!" Her voice grew with each word and she looked at her sister as if she were the dumbest person on the planet.

"Would you rather I stayed have your son witness a screaming match between the two if that's what it came to?" Juliet pointed out angrily.

Rachel took a breath and looked towards Julian in the living room from her position in the kitchen. "No." She admitted. "You really think that's what's happening right now?"

Juliet shrugged. "I don't know. Miles has said they could get pretty heated at times."

"What do you think she wants?"

She shrugged again. "I don't know." She lied.

"What if she wants him back?"

Juliet shook her head. "He wouldn't do that." She was sure he wouldn't want to get back together with Cassidy for any sort of romantic reason. Cassidy hurt him when she cheated and he didn't often show it, but Juliet knew. She only wondered if there was a chance he would try a relationship with Cassidy for the child if she asked, but she couldn't tell Rachel that, not now.

They talked a while longer. Juliet filled Rachel in on the pieces of James' time with Cassidy she didn't already know. By the time Juliet's phone rang Rachel had an even stronger dislike for James' ex and wholeheartedly believed Juliet when she said he wouldn't go back to her. Juliet reached for her ringing phone. She knew it was James. But Rachel stopped her.

"Hey." She said softly. "Whatever happens its gonna be ok." She smiled. "And if you need help kicking her ass let me know." The smile widened into a grin and Juliet laughed.

Juliet nodded. "I'll do that." By the time she tried to answer the call it had already gone to voicemail. She stood and hugged her sister. "I gotta go."

She listened to the message in the car and could hear the nervousness in his voice, but hearing him say "I love you" was reassuring. She decided not to call back. She didn't want to talk about this on the phone and she'd be home soon.

Twenty minutes later she was rethinking that decision. She ran into traffic and it took her longer to reach the apartment building than it should have. She stood nervously in the elevator as it rose. The longer drive gave her more time to think and she was afriad that this would be the end of her relationship with James.

Juliet opened the door and found James frozen in place looking at her. She could tell he'd been pacing and knew he often did so when he was anxious. She set her purse and keys down. "Sorry." She said. "There was traffic coming back from Rachel's."

James nodded. "It's ok." His stiffened body relaxed a little. "She doing ok?"

Juliet nodded and would have laughed at the awkwardness of the moment if it were anyone else. She could tell he was uncomfortable. She was too and she didn't like the strange tension between them. She was fairly certain she knew what he wanted to tell her, but knew he didn't know that she knew. Her head spun thinking about it that way and she found herself closing the distance between them. James took her in his arms willingly.

"Was she telling the truth?" Juliet nearly whispered, her head on his shoulder.

James' brows furrowed. "What?"

Juliet sighed as she unhooked her arms from around his neck and took a step back so she could look at him.

He let her go reluctantly and looked at her in confusion.

"We were still waiting for the elevator when she told you" Juliet explained, but she found it hard to voice the words she needed to say. "Is it true what she said?" She asked and could tell James still wasn't getting it. "Do you have a daughter?" She unconsciously held her breath waiting for his response.

During the drive home Juliet came to the conclusion that a child with Cassidy would not and could not change the way she felt about the man in front of her. It would certainly complicate things, but they could make it work somehow, right? She was just terrified he wouldn't want to work it out.

James' jaw slackened. He'd been so worried about how to tell her he never once thought there was a possibility she could have heard Cass, though he knew she hadn't given him the news quietly. His mind was spinning. She already knew and she still came back?

He finally came to his senses and noticed the worry in her eyes and the way she bit her lower lip in anticipation. He reached out and ran a hand along her arm before taking her hand in his own. He nodded. "Yeah." He said quietly. "I have a daughter."

Neither was sure who started it, whether he pulled her in or she closed the distance between them, but his arms were around her again and her head found its place on his shoulder. Juliet was surprised to find her eyes watery. She knew it would be true. Cassidy had no reason to lie about it. The uncertainty of the future was getting to her and she found herself slightly jealous, another unexpected reaction.

Juliet never said anything to James, but she thought they might have their own baby one day. He was great with Julian as long as he didn't let his mind and his past get the better of him. A few weeks ago she started thinking he could work through it all. He was already so much better. And then maybe he'd decide he wanted a family after all.

She had thought she wanted children with Ed, but now she was so thankful it never happened. With James the feeling was different. She didn't want a child with him because she thought she should or it might make things better. No, she wanted a child with James because she new a child created and raised with him would be beautiful, smart, and probably a smart ass, but perfect in every way and they would always be loved unconditionally by both parents who loved each other _and_ who were meant to be together.

But was this a sign they weren't meant to be together? Was her mother right after all? Maybe just because they loved each other didn't mean they were supposed to be together.

"What happens now?" Juliet asked into his shoulder, afraid of what the answer might be.

"I don't know." He answered honestly. He held her tightly and never wanted to let go, but he pulled back just enough to get her to look up at him. "But I don't want to lose you." He said when their eyes met in a rare moment of vulnerability.

Juliet could have jumped for joy at hearing those words. Instead she said "Then you won't because I don't want to go anywhere." She caught a quick view of a dimpled smile before he pulled her in for a kiss. "I love you." He murmured against her lips.

Her heart soared. "I love you, too." She told him when they finally came up for air, content for the moment knowing at least they were both willing to try to make things work.


End file.
